Electric Mobility The central government has just taken another small step to clear the way towards electric mobility. After several months of waiting, Teresa Ribera’s Ministry of Ecological Transition has published this order with the information that the operators of the charging points must be sent to make a reliable map. However, the automotive sector asks for much more, with proposals to follow in the footsteps of other countries with successful experiences in electrification.
The new order from Teresa Ribera’s ministry establishes that operators of public access plugs in which electric vehicles can recharge batteries must start sending the necessary information by May 16. However, the most sensitive information, which shows whether a point is busy or available in real time, will be delayed as it will have to wait for the app to go live and for a period of three months from that moment.
Spanish Map Requirements
But the government has distanced itself from other countries that the region sets as an example, notably neighboring Portugal. In Spain, only charging points with a power equal to or greater than 43 kW will have an obligation to provide information in real time. On the other hand, if we take a look at the Portuguese public app Mobi.e it is possible to see the position of even the tiniest 3.7 kW point at all times.
The mapping of charging infrastructure in real time is one of the sector’s aspirations as a basis for strengthening user confidence in new electric vehicles. “No one knows exactly how many charging points there are in Spain,” warned José López-Tafall, general director of Anfac, at a table held at the Barcelona automobile show.
But much more remains to be done, as indicated by sector representatives during the progress presentation of Coche Global’s Barometer Auto Mobility Trends 2023. In that forum, the reasons for Spain’s failure in electric mobility were clearly identified, which have several interrelated causes.
In addition to having an actual map, the processing of recharging points has to go through the processes of administration and electricity distributors which can take up to two years. The average is about 15 months, according to Ivan Tallon, Wallbox’s director in Spain, who points out that in other European countries it takes about two months.
“Express License”
To deal with this problem, López-Tafal explained that Anfac has proposed to the government to create “a state charging and electric mobility center following the model of Portugal and Germany, a one-stop shop to facilitate processes ”
The president of the Federation of Catalan Dealers Feqvam, Jaime Rura, went further and proposed to launch an “Express License” to solve electric vehicle charging point licenses in just 15 days. A term far from reality that worries companies and institutions promoting charging networks.
