The latest MAPNA-developed electric vehicle (EV) charging station was inaugurated on the Tehran-Karaj highway at the Kouhak Police Station on October 6, 2024.
This event coincided with the unveiling of the first electric vehicle for the Iranian police and the national police week.
The station has been developed by MAPNA Electric & Control Engineering & Manufacturing Company (MECO).
The ceremony was attended by high-ranking police commanders, the CEO of Bahman Group, and various media representatives.
Mohammad Hossein Refan, CEO of MECO, provided details about the station’s features and capabilities.
“This charging station is equipped with two 120 kW DC chargers and has four outputs. One output is for CCS vehicles, and the other three follow the GB protocol, allowing four electric vehicles to charge simultaneously,” Refan explained.
Refan emphasized that, according to an agreement with the police, the station is not exclusively for police vehicles; the general public can also use it.
Brigadier General Seyed Teymour Hosseini, Chief of Iran’s Traffic Police, highlighted the significance of the station’s opening, noting that the station is launched with the introduction of the first series of electric vehicles into the police fleet.
Mohammad Mohammadi, CEO of Bahman Group, noted that electric vehicles account for 16% of all cars sold worldwide. He mentioned that the European Union initially planned one charging station for every ten electric vehicles in 2014 but now aims for one station per five vehicles.
“As the infrastructure and number of EV charging stations expand, the use of electric vehicles in society will increase accordingly,” he added.
MAPNA Group has been at the forefront of developing EV infrastructure in Iran. They launched the country’s first EV charging station at Milad Tower in Tehran in 2019, featuring a 43-kW AC charger and a fast charger compatible with Japanese and Korean EVs. EVs are becoming more popular globally, but they are still relatively new to the Iranian market. Like in other parts of the world, there are several challenges to the growth of the EV market in Iran, including the need for diverse technological developments in power equipment, electric motors, control systems, and batteries. However, one of the biggest concerns is the development of the necessary infrastructure for recharging these vehicles. To address this issue, MAPNA Group has undertaken a mission that involves producing EV conversion kits and building electric vehicle charging stations (EVCSs).