Finding a public electric car charging point in Spain is not only much more difficult than in the rest of Europe, but it can also come with an unpleasant surprise. According to the association of vehicle manufacturers Anfac, in Spain there are 26,718 charging points, but almost a quarter of them, 6,475, are not operational. They are the ‘ghost plugs’, which add uncertainty to a type of mobility that, for now, is behind schedule.
“Either they lack connection permits or they are not active,” explained the general director of Anfac, Jose Lopez-Tafall, during the presentation today in Madrid of the Public Access Recharging Infrastructure Map in Spain. “The reality is that we continue with the same problems of insufficient infrastructure or low power.”
Added to the risk of coming across a useless charging point is the absence of a public platform that provides information on where to find a reliable charger. The existing ones are those prepared by private operators, for which reason Anfac calls on the administration for this exercise in transparency that, incidentally, makes the public powers responsible in some way for the proper functioning of the infrastructures.
The country is also far behind in relation to the implementation of the electric car and the objectives that, according to Anfac, would have to be met to reach the new European Fit for 55 regulation on time, which aims to reduce emissions by 55% of carbon dioxide by the end of this decade.
By now, there should be 45,000 charging points installed, nearly double the current number, and by 2025 the figure should reach 91,000. If the number of electrified cars is taken, Spain currently has 99,139, less than half the goal for 2023, of 190,000. In 2030 there should be 1.3 million of them, but the current trend points to just 550,000.
In the European comparison, Spain also fares badly. There are 383 charging points for every million inhabitants, while in France the figure is 1,228, in Germany 1,053 and in Portugal 745. Ideally, there should be one public charging point for every ten electric cars.
The share of electrified cars, which includes hybrids, is now 9.6% in Spain, much lower than the 31.4% reached by Germany or 21.7% in both Portugal and France.
In Spain, public charging points are unevenly distributed and concentrated in cities and in the most populated areas. Catalonia is the autonomous community with the most plugs, with 4,955, ahead of Madrid’s 2,537, Valencia’s 2,308 and Andalusia’s 2,274. In the Basque Country there are less than 800, and in Ceuta there are only five.
“We are still far behind and the growth rate is far from what it should be,” López-Tafall insisted. For Anfac, it is necessary that the aid for the purchase of electric cars be “effective” and can be received at the time of making the purchase. “Administrative obstacles should also be simplified and a state center for charging infrastructure development should be created.”
Vehicle manufacturers also complain that binding targets are imposed on them, with penalties included, while States set goals without being obliged to meet them. “There is only one group that is penalized if it is not met: the automotive industry. When binding objectives have been proposed for the States, they have all rejected them,” she stated.
