SOCAR opens solar-powered EV fast-charging gas station in Switzerland
The State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR) has opened a gas station in Switzerland featuring solar-powered fast charging for electric vehicles, SOCAR Energy Switzerland (SOCAR's Swiss subsidiary) said.
"The new station opened in the town of Halwill (in the canton of Aargau) and combines traditional fuels with renewable energy sources. The facility, built in four months, offers diesel, 95-octane gasoline, SOCAR Velvet-98 fuel, AdBlue and a 100-kilowatt EV fast-charging station, as well as eco-friendly SOCAR Diesel HVO100 produced from biological waste," the company said.
Electricity for the charging station is generated by solar panels installed on the roof of a neighboring store, it said.
The production of HVO100 eco-diesel doesn't use agricultural crops grown on farmland suitable for food production (such as rapeseed, corn, soybeans and others), it said.
SOCAR Energy Switzerland GmbH operates in Switzerland through a network of gas stations, maintains tanker trucks and product storage facilities and conducts business in the oil, electricity and hydrogen sectors.
In November 2011, Zurich hosted the signing of an agreement for SOCAR's acquisition of shares in Ecco Schweiz GmbH. The total purchase cost SOCAR $330 million, transferring to the company, among other assets, a retail network of 170 gas stations. This network has since expanded to 200 stations.
In addition, Zurich houses the headquarters of SOCAR Trading.
On July 1, 2023, SOCAR opened Switzerland's first hydrogen refueling station, Grauholz Sud.