Cuba opens solar‑powered ultra‑fast EV charging station amid fuel shortages

Cuba is building its first public ultra‑fast electric‑vehicle charging station on the Vía Blanca highway between Havana and Matanzas. The site at Peñas Altas, Guanabo, is being constructed by the small‑business 5ta. Avenida Motores, linked to the Dongfeng brand, and will be powered by 432 solar panels with a capacity of about 274 kWp, a 250 kW inverter and battery backup. It can serve up to seven vehicles at once and is part of a broader push to create "solineras" – solar‑powered stations that also supply electricity for other uses.

In parallel, charcoal producer Roberto Rodríguez Cobas in Anguila, Matanzas, has installed solar panels to run his workshop, reducing reliance on the unreliable national grid. His operation, supported by the state‑run export agency EAIVG, exemplifies Cuba’s effort to mitigate fuel scarcity and U.S. sanctions through renewable‑energy projects across the island.