Spain, aspiring to lead the energy transition, one of the most expensive countries in which to charge an electric car
The infrastructure of public charging points in Spain for electric cars is one of the most expensive in Europe, and in the case of Portugal it is between 70% and 130% more expensive, according to a study by the OBS business research centre on electric mobility in Spain. It is striking that every time data on the electric mobility market comes out, it is negative for Spain compared to the rest of Europe, when the government, now in office, always defends the fact that Spain is called to lead electric mobility and the energy transition, not only in Europe, but also in the world.
The report, published on Thursday, shows that charging the battery of a vehicle from 10% to 80% at a fast or super-fast charging point costs between 4.19 and 36.51 euros in Spain, while in Portugal the price varies between 1.4 and 15.76 euros.
There are only 25,106 charging points for electric cars in Spain, compared to the 100,000 that the government committed to the European Union by 2023.
This is due to the lack of interoperability of the points in the Spanish network, where each operator applies its own tariffs, a situation that does not exist in Portugal or other European countries, where communion between the different installers is a requirement for participating in the installation of the infrastructure.
According to the study, the higher price, together with the lack of control and monitoring of the efficiency of publicly subsidised charging points, reduces the average use of these points, which the Business Association for the Development and Promotion of Electric Mobility (Aedive) puts at 5.7 %.
The organisation indicates that in the first half of 2023 there were 25,106 public charging points, although another 6,800 are still inactive.
The Spanish government has pledged to install 100,000 points by 2023 to meet the targets agreed with the European Union, which would require a four-fold increase in the current number on urban roads.
Sales of electric cars are progressing slowly in Spain and only account for 6.3% of the market in the case of plug-in hybrids and 4.7% in the case of 100% electric cars.
The study points out that electric vehicle registrations grew during the first half of the year, with only diesel-powered cars declining.
Non-plug-in hybrids accounted for 30 % of registrations, followed by plug-in hybrids with 6.3 % and pure electric cars with 4.7 %, although petrol cars continue to lead with a 43.4 % share.
In addition, sales of plug-in electric vans increased, with 5,098 units in the first six months of 2023, above the figure for the whole of 2022, when 4,956 vehicles were sold.
Sales of electric trucks and buses soared, making Spain one of the main European markets for this type of vehicle.
Targets are a long way off
The OBS study points out that there is still a long way to go to reach the electric car penetration targets and warns that the price of these cars is holding back improvements in environmental indices.
According to OBS, the best-selling electric vehicles are the most expensive and polluting from a production point of view, as they are heavier and require more energy and raw materials in their manufacturing process.
For this reason, it recommends increasing the number of alternatives on the market, less bureaucracy when it comes to granting subsidies and promoting the process of decarbonising the economy.
Worldwide, 2.3 million vehicles were sold in the first quarter of the year, 25% more than in the same period last year.
