Electric vehicles are one of the cornerstones of the European Union’s (EU) climate change policies, but the fact that the dealers claim is that the sales of these types of cars continue to increase. One of the main reasons beyond the still prohibitive prices is the scarcity of public charging points. So much so that The state of Alicante will have to step up in this sense, quadrupling such infrastructure by 2025 to comply with the community’s requirements to reduce emissions.. In particular, the target is in a dynamic that will need to be intensified in successive years until it reaches 2,900 from the current 700 charging points, or even reaching 21,300, which should be operational by 2035.
Spanish Automobile and Truck Manufacturers Association (Anfac) where almost all brands in the sector are represented. Updating public access pricing infrastructure maps This initiative aims to serve as a tool to assist in the necessary planning and monitoring of the deployment, which is still pending, so that Spain can achieve the new emission reduction targets set in the European Fit For 55 programme.
In the update study, they explain from Anfac, The increase in the EU’s requirements to reduce CO2 emissions for different vehicle types over the 2030 and 2035 horizons has been taken into account.. For the first target, a 55 percent decrease in passenger cars and a 50 percent decrease in light commercial vehicles is determined, while in the second, 100 percent should be reached in both cases. Therefore, although the current National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030 targets a fleet of 3.4 million electric passenger cars and minibuses in Spain by 2030 and a market share of 40% in line with the new scenario, according to Anfac forecasts 2030 This will require new targets of 4.3 million units for 2035 and 9.8 million units with 60% and 100% of the 100% electric market, respectively.
The association has updated its proposal to plan the necessary development of the charging infrastructure in line with these new goals. According to the results, it will be necessary to increase from the current 20,243 points at the national level to 70,000 at the end of 2023, 120,000 in 2025, 300,000 in 2030 and 610,000 in 2035, the year the sale ends. diesel and petrol passenger cars. In the Valencian Community example, 4,011 of the 2,308 public charging points currently available should be transiting by the end of 2023, 8,274 in 2025, 28,177 at 20:30, and 59,529 by 2035.
But what happens in the case of the province of Alicante? The starting point is worse than that of the Community of Valencia as a whole, as charging points in the autonomous region will have to triple by 2025 and quadruple in the states. Anfac estimates reveal, in particular: From the current 686 to 2,893, the previous step will need to increase to 1,401 by the end of 2023.. From there, the pace of installation will need to be boosted so that 9,981 will be counted in 2030, this figure will need to increase to 21,297 in 2035.
Most of the currently operating charging points are concentrated in major cities. Alicante is the leader with 129, followed by Elche with 55.Benidorm 36, Torrevieja 26, Ondara 25 and Dénia and Alcoy 24.
However, the increase calculations made by Anfaç are fully shared by the vehicle dealers in the province. to warn that electric car sales are now almost gone.
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Ruth Candela, director of Movilsa, attributes this to two main factors: prices and a lack of infrastructure. In his words, “the cost of such cars is still very high, so there are many people who cannot afford them. But we must add to this the absence of charging points, which greatly limits the use. In fact, it is striking that most of the customers currently prefer plug-in hybrids, which make it possible to travel daily distances in electric mode and have an internal combustion engine alternative. they don’t stay on the ground.”
Nacho Juan, marketing director of Grupo Marcos, says in similar terms: “Between the fact that the electric car is still almost like a luxury product and there are no charging infrastructures, it’s normal for the market to be normal. It doesn’t finish launching. In the current scenario, hybrids have much more output.because they provide you with an alternative circulation in case of need ».
Ángel Gutiérrez, sales manager of Grupo Sala, draws attention to this fact: «For example, while there are 90,000 charging points in the suburbs of Amsterdam, we barely pass 20,000 in all of Spain.. And not only that, most of it is either corrupt or very low power, so it takes a world to recharge. That’s why he points out that we “must put our batteries together and do what the EU wants as soon as possible”.
José López-Tafall, managing director of Anfac, delves into precisely these last aspects; We need to get Spain to quintuple its high-power charging network to allow long-distance travelat the same time, with charging times between 15 and 27 minutes.
In his words, “In terms of distribution, the commitment of the Government and the autonomous communities is essential to implement the necessary infrastructure in the region. The automotive industry is pioneering decarbonisation and is already launching a wide variety of electric vehicles, but developing public charging infrastructure is crucial for this deployment.”
All-electric vehicles make up just 1% of the just over 11,000 parking garages in the state of Alicante. According to estimates made by different dealerships, the figure rises to 38,000 if hybrid cars with the most output are included at the moment, because they also have a combustion engine and save drivers a lot of trouble if they do. they cannot find a charging point on their journey.
This fact is also evident in the records, where progress is being made slowly. The latest data from the Spanish Association of Auto and Truck Manufacturers (Anfac), corresponding to the province of Alicante, confirms that 10,034 electric cars were sold in the first seven months of the year, but only 4% of them were all-electric. The rest were once again hybrid or plug-in hybrid vehicles.