Stellantis is testing a new electric vehicle charger that can work without an electricity grid connection. The carmaker has started a one-year pilot at its Motor Village Bouskoura site. Solar Power, a local renewable energy company, is working with Stellantis on the project. The charger uses solar panels to produce electricity and batteries to store it. It can work day and night without being connected to the national grid.
The station can fully charge up to eight plug-in hybrid vehicles or three fully electric vehicles each day. It has four AC charging points, with power of up to 19kW.
It also has two standard power sockets for smaller electric vehicles. A Fiat TRIS can charge from 20% to 80% in about four hours.
The batteries used to store the electricity come from Stellantis’ light electric vehicles. The company is giving the batteries a second use instead of sending them straight for recycling.
The project was developed by a Stellantis engineer in Morocco through the company’s Star*Up programme, which supports ideas from its employees.
Solar Power CEO Imad El Idrissi said: “This partnership allows us to test a truly autonomous, off-grid model under the conditions where it is most relevant—remote and underserved areas of Morocco. The results of this pilot project will directly inform decisions regarding the locations and methods for deploying this technology on a larger scale across the region.”
Stellantis will use the one-year test to collect data and feedback before deciding whether to expand the system.
Potential locations include remote work sites, logistics centres, hotels and rural communities where connecting a charger to the electricity grid can be difficult.
The project also fits into Stellantis’ wider push to develop electric mobility and reuse old vehicle batteries.
Stellantis runs a major vehicle plant in Kenitra, which produces vehicles for export to European, Middle Eastern and African markets.
