In June 2023, QiOn and XC Power opened a charging station in San Lorenzo Almecatla, Puebla that became the world's first public facility with one megawatt of capacity. Forbes México covered the inauguration, which drew local officials, fleet operators, OEM representatives, and international guests. QiOn CEO Ludovico Finotto described it as the result of nine years of R&D focused on a specific goal: a public charger fast enough to match the rhythm of a gas station. For some vehicles, that means a full battery in six minutes.
The speed comes down to one technical choice most public stations skip: QiOn's chargers convert AC to DC before the current reaches the car, cutting out the slower onboard conversion that every standard public charge relies on. The station handles any EV brand, with connectors for European and Asian standards. Pricing runs between 250 and 1,000 Mexican pesos depending on battery size, which works out to roughly five times cheaper per kilometre than petrol at current rates.
The physical structure follows the same logic. The canopy is built from laminated wood and 72 solar panels that produce around 61 megawatts of clean energy per year, with the surplus sold back to Mexico's Federal Electricity Commission. QiOn built the Puebla station to show that megawatt-class public charging was commercially viable, not just technically possible. The company is now replicating the model in Latin America, Europe, and other markets.
Originally reported by Forbes México. Read the full article →
