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Rio Launches First Fast-Charging Station, Advancing Smart City Goals

Smart City

Business Honor
28 March, 2025

Rio de Janeiro launches its first public fast-charging station, advancing its goal of becoming a smart city.

Rio de Janeiro is one step closer towards its goal of being one of the smart city leaders with the launch of its very first public fast-charging station in Barra da Tijuca. It was created by EZVolt in collaboration with the city's Sandbox.Rio initiative is funded by Laneshift, an alliance of C40 Cities and The Climate Pledge. The program reinforces Rio's commitment to reducing carbon emissions and enhancing electromobility infrastructure. The charging hub is one of the city's top features of its overall project for creating a sustainable urban environment through the use of smart technologies.

Situated in a strategic location, the EZVolt charging station has a 500 kW capacity and six parking bays for simultaneous charging. It is open 24/7 and allows electric vehicle (EV) owners in Rio to easily charge their vehicles, encouraging the use of electric vehicles as part of the city's vision to shift towards a cleaner, more innovative transport system.

Prominent attendees at the February 15, 2025, inauguration ceremony included Mayor Eduardo Paes, who took special pains to emphasize the city's status as an innovation hub for researchers and entrepreneurs. "Rio is an innovation laboratory," Paes insisted, citing the city's openness to new technology and solutions that allow it to be a smart, sustainable city.

This quick charging station is all part of the broader Sandbox.Rio initiative, which is essentially a laboratory where new technologies can be tested out and data monitored. Osmar Lima, Rio's Economic Development Secretary, said that bringing the city's transport fleet online is an important step towards more sustainable urban logistics and smart city goals.

Rio's move to add innovative solutions like this charging station puts the city at the vanguard of the transformation of Latin America towards smart, sustainable cities, enhancing its reputation as an innovative city committed to mobility and technology's future.