Spain has just over 15,000 charging points for public electric vehicles, which is far from the Government’s target of reaching 100,000 by 2023.mainly due to the lengthy license processing and networking process that can take up to two years.
From industries involved in the deployment of this network, such as oil companies, the Collaboration for the Development and Promotion of Electric Mobility (AEDIVE) or manufacturers (ANFAC), identify where these points should be before setting a numerical target to make existing ones work.
Based on the calculations of the filling operators integrated into AEDIVE, Reaching 23,000 points (a figure to be achieved in practice) in 2022, 70,000 in 2025 and 255,000 in 2030 would be a good step towards infrastructure expansion.
ANDDistribution should be based on locations and reload type in each, not “numbers”.. If it were a matter of math, many would believe that the 80,000 pumps in Spain are insufficient to service the 30 million combustion vehicles added by the Spanish mobile fleet, AEDIVE managing director Arturo Pérez de Lucía told EFE.
“The electric vehicle has various charging options, both connected (home) and opportunity (hotels, shopping malls, etc.). Refueling is not the same as charging, and therefore the charging infrastructure cannot be analyzed either by combustion eye or by percentage calculation,” he insists. he did.
40% of installed, waiting for licenses to work
According to him, while it is true that there are 40% of public spots installed or under construction and still awaiting license or permit, the existing infrastructure is sufficient to accommodate the number and type of vehicles available.
To speed up the distribution of recharging points, the Government has issued regulations requiring, among others, the establishment of top-selling gas stations, shopping malls, or buildings of the General State Administration and dependent companies.
The main oil company in Spain, Repsol currently has 950 installed public spots, of which more than 450 are operational.the rest are waiting for permissions or connection to the distribution network.
“We have hurdles in developing this infrastructure,” Repsol sources told EFE, noting that the main ones are the difficulty of obtaining licenses, connecting to the distribution network, legalizing the installation with Industry to enter into supply contracts, or recovering the investment that is due. for low usage.
Installing a 350 to 400 kilowatt charging point represents an investment of around 250,000 euros and often, the cost of connecting to the network represents a very high percentage “eventually slowing the development of infrastructure due to low usage today”.
Also, according to the same source, the problem is not lack of infrastructure,distribution is not done in a “smart” way.that is, in strategic locations, adapted to the type of vehicle that will use it, or “clean-maintained”.
In this sense, from the vehicle manufacturers association ANFAC, They demanded the government prepare a “map” that outlines where each charging point should be and at what power.as well as a planned service station strategy.
“We must set binding targets for the number of public charging points and power stations each year, establish an information platform on where they are, and ensure interoperability of paying the load, for example, as it exists. According to ANFAC, which has set the number of available points at approximately 15,000, each company has its application. not a TPV at the point”.
The crisis hinders investment.
On your own behalf ANGED, employers of large surfaces, requested from the Manager for a period of three years to charge the 20,000 points they must have by 1 January 2023. for the “technical and material impossibility” of achieving this goal.
Deployment requires strong investment for companies and a technical capacity (authorized installers) and adaptation of regulations that do not currently exist (municipal, prevention or security), according to ANGED, which has requested effective assistance, and above all, a reduction in administrative barriers.
“Our industry can contribute to the transition to more sustainable mobility and increase the number of charging points, but the rule must be proportionate and rational, seek incentives and not exacerbate the cost crisis companies are experiencing,” the employer said.
According to the regulation, the State Administration and its affiliated institutions must have 1 charging point for every 20 seats or fractions in their buildings, while the ministries consulted by the EFE (Ecological Transition, Transport and Soil Policy) have not been able to confirm this. being fulfilled.