It is the first building in the Algarve that will be able to house companies related to the automotive industry and will operate in three main areas: green hydrogen, synthetic fuels and the second life of electric car batteries. The first stone of the Celerator Technological Park was laid this Thursday, July 13th, next to the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, in Portimão.
The work officially starts this Friday, the 14th, and will have to be completed by the end of the year.
The building, which is located right next to the Autódromo, will be dedicated to the transport and mobility sector, with a focus on renewable energies applied to mobility and transport.
Speaking to journalists, Paulo Pinheiro, CEO of Parkalgar, explained that this pole will have three main vectors of work: green hydrogen, synthetic fuels and second life batteries.
«We have all heard about the issue of the ecological footprint and, in our opinion, the future involves various forms of mobility, such as electric, but it also mainly involves new forms of energy, with internal combustion engines», he defended.
The issue of synthetic fuels «is also very important», as well as «the second life of all electric and hybrid cars».
“These batteries, after 100, 120 kilometers, are unused and need a second life. The problem is also what to do with them. We continue to have energy potential there: not only enough to run a car, but with a second life the battery can be used, for example, in our homes», exemplified Paulo Pinheiro.
“Car manufacturers, at this time, have environmental concerns, but if there is no ecological end, they still have the problem to solve and that is where we can be part of the solution”, he added.
According to Parkalgar's CEO, the objective is to host «five companies», all of «high technological level».
"They are not startups, but international companies. In this project, moreover, we will not be able to have more than six, seven companies, for physical reasons », he added.
The new hub is the result of a partnership between Parkalgar, which manages the Autódromo, and the University of Algarve, materialized in the creation of a new association: Celerator– Associação Parque Tecnológico do Algarve.
For Paulo Águas, rector of the UAlg, this will be a «marking project for the region».
«Professors and researchers will have one more research center here: what is at stake is innovation, technology transfer. This equipment will allow not only to bring companies here, but also for UAlg teams to interact with these companies», stressed Paulo Águas.
Polo will also benefit from being close to the Autodromo itself.
«The Autódromo can give a natural boost: all these brands, the teams, the brands have contact with us because they know the Autódromo. The circuit is a catalytic pole», emphasized Paulo Pinheiro.
Moreover, there are even «advanced conversations» with a «builder in particular» to settle in the Algarve.
«What we intend is that all part of the development and research of this new technology, of these synthetic fuels in internal combustion engines, be done here: in the Celerator and in the tests later on the circuit», he explained.
Projects and companies will also be able to lease an area in the Celerator's ample space, regardless of their level of technological readiness (TRL) and have access to the equipment and hardware already existing.
«The quality and qualification of the human resources that we have in Portugal, the partnership with the University, the proximity by plane to all the major European cities – without forgetting the magnificent climate typical of the region – are a unique value proposition that will make Celerator a unique technological park», concludes Paulo Pinheiro.
The laying of the first stone was also attended by José Apolinário, president of the Commission for Coordination and Regional Development (CCDR) of the Algarve, and Teresa Mendes, councilor of the Portimão Chamber.
The mayor stressed, moreover, the fact that this investment also helps to "diversify the economic base" of the region».
«It is with these small steps that we can make a difference», he said.
Photos: Pedro Lemos | Sul Informação
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