Spain currently has just over 15,000 public charging points for electric vehicles, a figure short of the government target of 100,000 by 2023. The shortfall is largely tied to long licensing and network integration timelines, with some projects taking up to two years to come online.
Industry players involved in deploying the charging network, including oil companies, the Collaboration for the Development and Promotion of Electric Mobility (AEDIVE), and manufacturers such as ANFAC, emphasize the need to locate suitable points first before setting numeric targets. This approach aims to maximize the effectiveness of existing infrastructure and avoid overpromising on capacity.
Based on calculations from AEDIVE affiliated operators, reaching 23,000 points in practice in 2022, 70,000 by 2025, and 255,000 by 2030 would mark meaningful progress in infrastructure expansion. The guidance asserts that distribution should be grounded in location choice and reload type rather than simply counting ports.
Arturo Pérez de Lucía, managing director of AEDIVE, explains to EFE that even if a large number of pumps exists, the justifiable benchmark is not the total count but the suitability for the vehicle mix and charging needs. He notes that 80,000 pumps in Spain could fall short for a fleet of 30 million combustion vehicles if the charging network is not planned around real usage patterns.
“The electric vehicle offers multiple charging options, including home charging and opportunity charging at hotels, shopping centers, and workplaces. Refueling is not the same as charging, so the charging infrastructure cannot be evaluated with the same lens as fuel distribution”, he stresses.
40% of charging sites installed or under construction await licenses
Pérez de Lucía notes that while 40% of public spots are installed or under construction and awaiting licensing, the current infrastructure can accommodate the mix of vehicles on the road today and in the near term. To accelerate deployment, the government has issued regulations encouraging the placement of charging points at major gas stations, large shopping centers, and buildings operated or linked to the General State Administration and its dependencies.
Repsol, the leading oil company in Spain, has installed 950 public charging points, with more than 450 currently operational. The remainder are awaiting permissions or network connection.
Repsol sources describe several hurdles in building out the network, including license acquisition, connecting to the distribution grid, obtaining industry approvals to sign power supply contracts, and achieving a reasonable return on investment amid uneven usage.
Installing a 350 to 400 kilowatt charging point can cost about 250,000 euros. The expense of connecting to the grid often represents a large share of total costs and can slow progress when current usage is low.
Another challenge is that the distribution is not always done in a strategic, smart way. Locations and charging power should align with the vehicle types that will most frequently use the network and be well maintained.
From ANFAC, the vehicle manufacturers association, there is a call for the government to publish a map showing where each charging point should be and the intended service station plan. They urge binding yearly targets for public charging points and charging hubs, plus an information platform that clearly marks locations and ensures interoperability of payments for charging. ANFAC estimates around 15,000 available points and notes that individual companies control their own applications for access rather than a universal point-of-sale solution.
Investment and regulatory hurdles slow progress
ANGED, the association of large retail spaces, has asked for a three-year window to build the 20,000 points required by January 1, 2023, highlighting technical and material impossibilities in meeting the target.
Deployment requires substantial investment and a workforce of qualified installers, along with regulatory reforms at municipal and safety levels that do not yet exist. ANGED calls for practical support and, above all, a reduction in administrative barriers.
The industry is ready to contribute to a shift toward more sustainable mobility and to increase the number of charging points, but rules must be proportional and reasonable, providing incentives without exacerbating the cost pressures companies face. The regulation also states that state administration buildings and their affiliates should have one charging point for every 20 seats or fractions in their properties, a standard not yet confirmed as being fulfilled by the ministries consulted by EFE, including Ecological Transition, Transport, and Soil Policy.