Público's practical guide explains how to charge an electric car on the public network, breaking down the Mobi.E system and the difference between CEME and OPC while advising how to choose the right charging point to save time and money. This is a useful primer for expats who own or are considering an EV and want to avoid common pitfalls on public chargers.
How to use Portugal's public EV charging network
Saturday, 10 January 2026AI summary
Context & Explainers
Mobi.E is Portugal’s national platform for coordinating public electric-vehicle charging infrastructure and enabling interoperability between different charging operators and service providers. For drivers this means public chargers are often available through multiple operators’ apps or RFID cards, so check which providers support roaming and the connector types (Type 2/CCS) and tariffs before you charge.
An OPC is an operador de pontos de carregamento (charging point operator) — the company that owns, installs and maintains the physical charging stations and typically handles the on-site payment and technical upkeep. OPCs differ from mobility-service providers and coordination platforms (like Mobi.E) because they are responsible for the hardware and its availability, so check which OPC operates a charger to understand access methods and prices.
