The lack of charging point infrastructure is hindering the development of the electric mobility in Spain, which is at the bottom of Europe in terms of both the number of registered electric cars and poles to recharge the batteries of cars that use only electric motors. Within the European Union, Spain is in the tail carriage both in terms of electrification, where it only surpasses Hungary and the Czech Republic, and in terms of the age of the car fleet, which, at 14 years old, second only to Greece.
The first of the automotive problems in Spain, that of the little acceptance that electrified cars have at the moment in our market, becomes clear when analyzing the sales of this type of vehicle that have occurred during the past month of March and the accumulated of the first quarter. The electrified vehicle registrations, a classification that includes both electric and plug-in hybrids, including passenger cars, quadricycles, commercial and industrial vehicles, and buses; achieved last month a notable percentage increase compared to the same month last year. They rose 70.4%, until reaching the 11,690 units. Although it improves the results of the previous year, the sales volume still only represents 10% of the total market. A figure that, despite the strong increase in the general market that was close to 115,000 units, remains at a share well below the European average.
And this at a time when the implementation of the Low Emission Zones (ZBE) in the 149 municipalities in Spain with more than 50,000 inhabitants should have triggered sales of cars with a Zero label, which allow circulation in these areas. restricted. But it has not been that way. Sales of pure electric vehicles, although they increased by 63.1% in March, accounting for 5,684 units, have only represented 4.83% of the market share in the month. In the year as a whole, sales of these vehicles totaled 13,878 units, 62.7% more than in the same period of the previous year, but the cumulative share for the year is still very poor, below five percent, specifically 4.95%.
hybrids
Plug-in hybrids (phev) are more widely accepted thanks to their double motorization, electric and combustion, which allows them to drive in electric mode with a range of around fifty kilometers for each charge, but which provide the advantage that when electric mode ends, they can continue to run on the internal combustion engine. With this, the average driver can circulate daily with electricity and only use solid fuels when he has to make a longer trip. And the fact that they also enjoy the Zero label make them very attractive for use in large cities. In March, sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles grew 78%, reaching 6,006 units, representing 5.17% of the market share for the month. In the first quarter as a whole, sales of these vehicles totaled 14,953 units, that is, 41.5 more than in the same period of 2022 and their cumulative share amounts to 5.33%.
A third category is that of the so-called rechargeable hybrids, which only have an Eco label. They work with combustion engines, but have an additional 48v battery. which helps them in acceleration and low-speed manoeuvres, which favors the reduction of consumption and, therefore, also partly reduces gas emissions into the atmosphere. A technology used in almost all Toyota models, which has been the leading brand in the period. These medium hybrids (mhev) increased their sales by 74.3% in March and reached 29,199 registered units, which already represents a significant number of market share, specifically 25.11%. In the accumulated of the year, the sales of these vehicles add up to 73,143 units, 53.8% more than in the same period of the previous year and the share of the total for the year is 26.08%.
Worry
The very low figures for electric sales in our country seriously concerns all businessmen in the sector, They have clearly opted for this type of engine, as shown by the fact that the main car manufacturing plants in Spain have assembly lines that produce fully electrified models. The manufacturers have done the homework mandated by the EU, as evidenced by the fact that the buyer finds himself with an offer on the market that exceeds two hundred models.
But the other part of the commitment, the one that forced the Government to provide Spain with a network of chargers sufficient to cover the needs of the population, is not being fulfilled and this causes the buyer to not decide to buy a car from scratch. emissions. The situation is worrying given Spain’s scant charging infrastructure and, in turn, the low penetration of electrified vehicles compared to other European countries. In 2022, Spain should have closed with 45,000 public charging points but the figure was lower, since barely 18,128 were installed. And of this amount, 10,327 are located on urban roads and only 7,801 on highways where they are needed to recharge during trips. To get an idea of the situation, Spain is less than half the network that Portugal has in relation to its population and car park.
On the other hand, of the chargers in operation, only 21% have a power of more than 22kw to allow fast charging. And it is that most of the high-power chargers have been installed by the same car brands through their dealer network. In any case, the little more than eighteen thousand chargers are an insufficient figure to achieve the objectives set in the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC), which establish that by 2030 there must be 5 million electric vehicles circulating on the roads of Spain. A number of cars that it would need, to ensure its normal operation, at least 340,000 public charging pointsaccording to the studies.
To try to alleviate this situation of shortages, the Government recently published a Ministerial Order TED/1009/2022 which established that a thousand service stations have to install charging points. Thus, service stations with sales of more than 10 million liters of gasoline and diesel in 2019 must install at least one 150 kW charging point. In addition, service stations with sales of more than five million liters of gasoline and diesel in 2019 will have to install at least one charging point greater than 50 kW. But the possibility of installing these points collides head-on with a bureaucracy that continually delays the installation of these power poles. Business sources indicate that no less than nine months pass from the time the project for the installation of a powerful charger is presented until all the permits are granted. And then you have to count on the electric company being able to supply enough energy for its operation since it is happening to find poles at the recharging points that have not yet been able to receive the necessary electrical current for its operation.