The new mobility trends point towards a model where electrified vehicles have an increasing role. There is no doubt that within a few years electric motors will end up displacing traditional motorizations, but for the moment their introduction into the park is not advancing at the expected rate, especially in our country.
In Spain, sales of electrified vehicles in 2022 represented 8.8% of the total market, a figure that places our country “far from the European average and in the tail van of Europe of the two-speed electrification that is is creating”, according to José López-Tafall, general director of the employers’ association of car and truck manufacturers Anfac.
In general, one of the most important aspects that slows down the penetration of electric cars in Spain is the lack of an extensive public charging network. At the end of July, Anfac warned that there were only 20,243 public access charging points, less than half of the 45,063 points planned for 2023 to meet the objectives established by the Fit for 55, the European Union (EU) plan ) for the ecological transition.
With this scenario, charging in public spaces has become one of the biggest concerns for electric car drivers. That is why it is so convenient for its users to know in advance where to find one of these points when planning a trip of several hundred kilometers, since in many cases it will be essential to charge the batteries before reaching the destination.
One of the tools that the European Commission puts in the hands of motorists who travel by electric car is an interactive map of the continent that lists all the charging points in Europe. The first thing that stands out is the lack of chargers in Spain compared to the rest of Western countries, where the blue color that marks the charging places is predominant.
While Germany, the Netherlands or France have a dense network of charging points for electric vehicles, Spain is far behind in this regard. Only in the big cities, especially Madrid and Barcelona and their surroundings, can you find a significant number of charging points compared to the rest of the country. These facilities are usually located in public parking lots, shopping centers, hotels and other strategic places in compliance with current regulations.
The European Commission’s interactive map details the exact location of charging points along with relevant information about their accessibility, whether they are publicly accessible or not. In addition, it offers details about the power available in the plugs and the total number of charging points in each location. These details are particularly valuable to travelers as they provide essential information about charging facilities at their destination.
Also interesting is the fact that the map is updated as new charging points are established or the number of chargers in existing locations increases.
Compared to other interactive maps on recharging points, such as Euromaps, the European Commission application does not allow users to share their experiences by providing comments and photos. In this way drivers cannot know in advance some interesting details about the maximum charging times or if a time slot can be reserved to carry out the operation.
The map also shows the service stations where gas, CNG (compressed natural gas) and LNG (liquefied natural gas) cars can be refueled, as well as hydrogen cars. In Spain, however, the three hydrogen plants in our country are located in business parks and are for private use.
