Spain is at the bottom of Europe in sales of electric cars and in deployment of charging infrastructure. Both situations, closely related to each other, can be explained by several factors, one of the most important being bureaucratic obstacles, which hinder both access to state aid and the granting of permits for the installation of new stations.
In accordance with AEDIVE (Business Association for the Development and Promotion of Electric Mobility), at the end of last year there were some 7,400 charging points in Spain pending a permit; that is, 34.3% of the total of 21,573 that are already installed. Let us remember that, only last year, 52,224 BEVs were registered (Battery Electric Vehicles) In our country.
In December 2022, Spain was in 19th position in the European ranking charging infrastructure. With 1.6 chargers per 100 km, our charging station network pales in comparison to the Netherlands (64.1 chargers per 100 km), Germany (25.8 chargers per 100 km), Portugal (24.9 chargers per 100 km ) or Italy (9.2 chargers per 100 km).
In the previous year, 8,200 points were installed, 38% of the total in just one year. According to Arturo Pérez de Lucia, General Director of AEDIVE, this percentage would have increased to 54% if there had been no barriers. However, it stands out that the change of licenses or prior authorizations for responsible declarations in December 2021 improved the situation.
Spain, at the tail of Europe in charging infrastructure
Pérez de Lucia explains that the lack of infrastructure has a lot to do with the low penetration of plug-in cars in our market. Of the 21,573 charging points in Spain, AEDIVE figures in approximately 4,200 those that exceed 50 kW of power (19.5% of the total)a figure that rises to 14,022 (65% of the total) if we include those of 22 kW or more.
Our country is emerging as an important center for the development and production of charging infrastructure. In 2022 alone, 360,000 chargers were manufactured in Spain, of which 345,000 were alternating current and 15,000 direct current. 87% of them (315,000) were destined for export, which translated into a turnover of 300 million euros.
The AEDIVE yearbook includes a survey carried out by AUVE (Association of Electric Vehicle Users) from which various points of interest are drawn; for example, only 8% had to be helped for running out of battery. 48.5% believe that it is possible to travel in Spain by electric car, while 36.6% affirm that it depends on the community.
Source | AEDIVE via The Automotive Tribune
