Spanish company ENDESA is betting strongly on electric vehicles. It is participating in numerous projects both on the national and European levels, to standardize, define the business model for, and increase awareness about, electric vehicles in society.

In Spain, the company is participating in the Cenit Verde project, and with the implementation of the Government’s plan for electric mobility (MOVELE). Further, it is involved with other projects related to the integration of electric vehicle networks, such as SmartCity, DER-22@ and REVE, and finally with projects to carry out research, development and testing of electric vehicles in Europe, such as G4V and ELVIRE.

This week two pieces of news were announced related to this effort. In the first case, Endesa and Nissan Motor have joined forces to develop a network of quick charging for electric vehicles. Under this agreement, both companies will promote technical advancement and development of the technology for direct current quick charging in Spain. This is in parallel to the work begun at the beginning of this year between Endesa, ENEL and Nissan’s alliance partner Renault, on alternative current quick charging technology. This new technology will be based on the internationally accepted standard CHAdeMO for electric vehicle charging stations, and will be compatible with Nissan’s electric vehicle LEAF, expected to be launched in Spain in June, 2011.

Further, both parties will analyze together their participation in projects such as SmartCity, the Málaga Technological Park and the demonstration project for quick charging in Catalonia. For its part, Nissan will support the development process that guarantees compatibility between the Nissan LEAF and Endesa’s device for quick charging.

The second piece of news is the collaboration agreement signed between the President of Endesa, Borja Prado, and the President of Mitsubishi Corporation, Yorihiko Kojima, regarding electric mobility. The agreement is based on the experience of each company (Endesa in the energy field and Mitsubishi Corporation in the automotive and infrastructure fields), and will permit them to jointly evaluate new opportunities related with the integration of electric vehicles into our environment. The key areas targeted for study in the accord are the construction of infrastructure related with the electric car, its functional expansion to harmonize other systems of energy management, and possible collaboration in other geographic areas, such as the EU and Latin America.