• Iberdrola | bp pulse and Glintt Next: How Big Data Is Powering the Expansion of Spain’s Fast-Charging Network

Featuring Julio Martín, Network Expansion Director at Iberdrola | bp pulse, and Gabriel Pazos, Director of Glintt Next Spain & International Not long ago, taking a long-distance trip in an electric vehicle was almost unthinkable. Limited range, scarce charging infrastructures, and slow charging speeds made EVs impractical for many drivers. Today, the landscape has changed dramatically: 13% of all new cars sold in Spain are already electric, and the trend is accelerating.

“This year, more electric cars have been sold than in the previous two years combined,” highlighted Julio Martín during his talk at Data Quest 2025.

Spain, however, still lags behind countries like Portugal (29%) and France (25%). To catch up, a robust, fast, and accessible public charging network is essential.

Two Pillars of EV Expansion: Location and Energy

The sustainable growth of electric mobility relies on two critical factors:

1. Optimal location selection

Identifying areas where real, sustained demand exists is key to ensuring profitability and user convenience.

2. Reliable and affordable access to energy

Without consistent and competitive energy availability, infrastructure investment becomes unsustainable. Since December 2023, Iberdrola | bp pulse has been deploying one of the most ambitious high-power charging networks in the Iberian Peninsula, with chargers starting at 150 kW, capable of restoring up to 80% of a battery in just 15–20 minutes.

“Spain is one of the European countries with the lowest percentage of private garages. Public charging will be decisive for accelerating EV adoption,” reinforced Julio.

But building such a network is far from simple — and this is where Big Data became a crucial strategic asset.

The Power of Data: Turning Complexity Into Strategy

To navigate the complexity of the EV charging business, Iberdrola | bp pulse adopted a data-driven, analytics-first strategy, supported by Glintt Next.

“There’s no point in investing millions if the demand isn’t there,” noted Gabriel Pazos.

The collaboration was structured around three key pillars:

1. A phased, validation-driven methodology

The initiative began with a proof of concept (POC) and progressively expanded its geographic and demographic scope, always validating insights with real-world data.

2. A scalable, cloud-native technological architecture

Glintt Next built proprietary algorithms on top of Azure, enabling the team to:

• integrate massive, heterogeneous datasets,
• cross-analyse geographic, demographic, and energy-related variables,
• generate predictive demand models with high accuracy.

3. Agile collaboration and a product-oriented mindset

Rather than a static project, the team created a living product, continuously enhanced with new datasets, improved models, and greater analytical depth. The outcome: a highly validated data lake with over 90% real-time, reliable information, allowing Iberdrola | bp pulse to identify high-potential hot spots with precision.

“We no longer rely on intuition. We know where demand exists and what ROI to expect,” emphasized Gabriel.

Understanding the User: The Next Frontier

With the data foundation in place, the focus has shifted to analysing actual user behaviour:

• What do drivers value the most?
• Charging power?
• Price?
• Convenience and complementary services?
• Locations near supermarkets, cafés, or highways?

This behavioural layer will enable Iberdrola | bp pulse to move toward hyper-personalised strategies, targeted promotions, tailored partnerships, and AI-driven prediction of user needs.

Lessons Learned: Think Big, Start Small

The speakers highlighted several critical learnings from the journey:

• Break large ambitions into smaller, validated goals.
• Build a specialised data team with both technical and business vision.
• Choose the right partner — one willing to explore uncertainty, test, fail, adapt, and iterate.
• Evolve from a project mindset to a product mindset, adding new capabilities as the company grows.

Today, Iberdrola | bp pulse is one of the largest high-power charging networks in Spain, in a market where only about 6,000 fast-charging points currently exist. The combination of data, collaboration, and intelligent decision-making is paving the way for a more connected, sustainable, and efficient mobility ecosystem.