The New Geography of the Coast
The Electric Coast: Where to Charge Your Car Between Punta Ballenas and José Ignacio
Uruguay leads electric mobility in Latin America. For anyone who lives or vacations along Maldonado’s coastal strip, knowing the charging network is now as essential as knowing where the on-call pharmacy is.
There is a moment that electric-car drivers in Uruguay recognize immediately: the first time they reached José Ignacio with 20% battery and were not sure where to charge. That moment, increasingly rare, marks the difference between those who know the infrastructure and those who improvise. Along the coastal strip from Punta Ballenas to the José Ignacio lighthouse —about 65 kilometers of Atlantic coast— there is now a network of eleven public charging points, operated mainly by UTE under an agreement with ANCAP, that makes the trip perfectly feasible for any electric vehicle with normal range. Expansion has been steady. In 2022, when the Solanas station opened, the department of Maldonado had 19 charging points. By early 2026, the figure exceeds 42 connectors in the department alone, with a mix of DC fast charging and standard AC charging. The Punta Ballenas–José Ignacio corridor has, within Uruguay, the highest density of electric infrastructure per kilometer of coast.
“The department of Maldonado is the leader in coastal electric mobility in Uruguay. No other tourist corridor in the country has this density of charging infrastructure.”
— MIEM / UTE Electric Mobility, 2026
Pero conocer que existen los puntos no es suficiente. La experiencia real de cargar en Punta del Este en temporada alta —enero y febrero— puede ser frustrante si no se sabe exactamente dónde están, cuánta potencia ofrecen, qué conectores usan y cuáles suelen estar ocupados por autos a combustión. Este relevamiento, realizado con información de UTE, ANCAP, el MIEM y las bases de datos de Electromaps y PlugShare, tiene como propósito exactamente eso: convertir una red de puntos en un mapa útil para quien vive aquí.
Interactive Network Map
Complete Station Directory
A survey of each charging point in the corridor, ordered from west to east. Data verified as of May 2026.
| Station | Address | Connectors | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 ANCAP Solanas + UTE MOVILIDAD Punta Ballenas / Solanas The corridor’s most important node. A must-stop if you are coming from Montevideo. |
Ruta Interbalnearia km 118 at Route 10 and Route 12 | CCS2 · 50 kW DC Type 2 · 43 kW AC Anchor station |
24 h |
| 02 UTE — Av. Roosevelt and Naciones Unidas Punta del Este Requires your own Type 2 cable. May be occupied in season. |
Av. F.D. Roosevelt at Naciones Unidas | Type 2 · 22 kW AC | 24 h |
| 03 UTE — Punta Shopping ★ Portezuelo Best rated in the corridor (4.7★). The most recommended in high season. |
Camino Lunas de Oro behind Punta Shopping | 4 DC chargers Recommended |
24 h |
| 04 UTE — Parada 3 / Blvr. Artigas Punta del Este Frequent reports of gasoline cars blocking the bays in season. |
Blvr. Artigas at Av. Francisco Salazar | CCS2 GB/T Check availability |
24 h |
| 05 UTE MOVILIDAD — Av. Juan Gorlero 945 Downtown Punta del Este On the main dining and shopping corridor. |
Av. Juan Gorlero 945, Punta del Este | Standard AC | 24 h |
| 06 UTE — Blvr. Artigas south sector Punta del Este Highest power in the area. Complicated access; floods in heavy rain. Tel: 800 1950. |
Blvr. Artigas south sector, Punta del Este | CCS2 · 60 kW DC | 24 h |
| 07 UTE — Península Station Punta del Este — Península Compatible with Chinese vehicles (BYD, Geely, Chery). Convenient for downtown residents. |
Capitán Miranda at El Trinquete | GB/T · 30 kW DC | 24 h |
| 08 UTE — 3 de Febrero 25 Golf / Cantegril Residential area. Usually has availability even in high season. |
3 de Febrero 25, Golf / Cantegril area | Standard AC · 22 kW | 24 h |
| 09 UTE MOVILIDAD — La Barra La Barra Strategic node for those continuing to Manantiales or José Ignacio. |
Los Destinos at Bartolomé Hidalgo | DC fast charging | 24 h |
| 10 & 11 ANCAP + UTE — José Ignacio José Ignacio — La Juanita Eastern end of the corridor. Note: the physical charger is at the ANCAP station on Route 10, not near the lighthouse. Tel: 4486 2108. |
Route 10 and Camino Ing. Sainz Martínez | CCS2 · 60 kW DC Type 2 · 22 kW AC Eastern end |
24 h |
Technical Reference
| Location | Connectors | Max. power | Charging type |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANCAP Solanas (km 118) | CCS2 + Type 2 | 50 kW DC / 43 kW AC | Fast |
| Av. Roosevelt and Naciones Unidas | Type 2 | 22 kW AC | Standard |
| Punta Shopping (Portezuelo) | Multiple DC (4 bays) | Fast DC | Fast |
| Blvr. Artigas at Salazar | CCS2 + GB/T | Variable | Fast |
| Av. Juan Gorlero 945 | AC | 22 kW AC | Standard |
| Blvr. Artigas (south sector) | CCS2 | 60 kW DC | Fast |
| Capitán Miranda / Trinquete | GB/T | 30 kW DC | Fast |
| 3 de Febrero 25 (Golf) | AC | 22 kW AC | Standard |
| La Barra (Los Destinos) | DC | Fast DC | Fast |
| ANCAP José Ignacio (Route 10) | CCS2 + Type 2 | 60 kW DC / 22 kW AC | Fast |
What You Need to Know Before You Go
The UTE network works on a simple logic: it is activated through the UTE Mueve app (available on iOS and Android) or by scanning the QR code on the charger. The current cost is approximately UYU 10 per kWh, which equals about UYU 1.20 per kilometer —versus UYU 6 to cover the same distance in a gasoline vehicle. One key point: DC fast charging recovers 80% of the battery in 20 to 40 minutes depending on the vehicle; standard AC charging adds about 120 km of range per hour connected. For stays of several days, overnight home charging remains the most efficient and economical option.
Five Things Electric Residents of Punta del Este Know
- In January and February, go straight to Punta Shopping. With four fast bays and the mall just meters away, it is the point with the greatest availability in high season and has the best user rating in the whole network.
- The Solanas point (km 118) is the corridor’s anchor. If you are coming from Montevideo and your range is tight, this is the strategic stop before reaching Punta del Este or continuing to José Ignacio.
- Bring your Type 2 cable. Several standard (AC) charging points do not include their own cable. Without one, some units are simply unusable.
- In José Ignacio, ignore the lighthouse marker. The real charger is at the ANCAP station on Route 10 and Camino Sainz Martínez, not at the point that appears near the lighthouse in some apps.
- Use the UTE Mueve app to check real-time availability. The network has an average uptime of 96.6%, but individual units can be temporarily out of service. The app shows it before you leave.
“The question property buyers ask us today is not whether there are chargers in Punta del Este. It is how many there are near the house they are looking at.”
Sources: UTE Electric Mobility · MIEM Uruguay · ANCAP / DUCSA · Electromaps · OLADE 2025. Data verified as of May 2026. For real-time availability: movilidad.ute.com.uy — App: UTE Mueve (iOS / Android).
