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ELECTRIC car charging points across Spain have increased by around two-thirds in the last year, with over 100 new ones set up somewhere in the country every month.
And State utility board Iberdrola has no plans to take its foot off the accelerator – the roll-out will continue at the same pace, or faster.
Numerous studies nationwide have concluded that two main barriers exist when it comes to switching from petrol or diesel engines to electric: The higher price of these emissions-free vehicles, and the insecurity of not being able to guarantee they will find a charging point on every journey if they need one.
Other factors that act as a drawback include the time taken to recharge a battery – especially compared with the speed and ease of filling up at a petrol station – the still-limited availability of electric models, which might force buyers to opt for what they can find, rather than the style and size of vehicle they want – and concerns that production of extra electricity for charging could produce just as many harmful emissions as exhaust fumes from traditionally-fuelled cars.
Iberdrola seeks to reduce at least three of these concerns: So far, around 2,500 charging stations are now in operation, and of these, about 1,000 are express chargers.
The faster versions can have a battery refuelled enough to cover several hundred kilometres within around five minutes, making the process not much slower than filling up with petrol.
Also, the majority are powered by electricity from renewable sources, typically sun and wind.
To date, about 500 locations in Spain have charging stations – almost 10 for every province, according to recent figures released by the company.
Since the start of 2022, Iberdrola has supplied around 9.5 gigawatts per hour (gWh) of electrical energy for recharging vehicle batteries which, if these cars had been powered by petrol or diesel instead, would have meant they used up 3.55 million litres of traditional fuel.
“This major infrastructure development is the result of the company's electrical mobility expansion plan which, in the next few years, will allow it to establish ultra-fast charging stations in all strategic points of national territory, as well as continuing with the roll-out of less-powerful installations,” Iberdrola explains.
By the year 2025, the utility board expects to have set up around 150,000 high-efficiency charging points on town and city roads, main motorways and other trunk roads, and even in private homes and company premises.
In total, the electrical mobility plan will have involved an investment of around €150 million, including a major drive to switch public transport to electric.
Over the next few months, at least 280 charging stations for round-town buses run on electric will be set up across the country.
A mobile phone App operated by Iberdrola contains 'verified information' about every single charging station in the country – the company's own and those operated by other firms – enabling drivers to locate their nearest, check whether it is functioning, whether it is currently occupied, book a slot, and pay for its use.
The App covers 96,000 chargers in Spain and elsewhere in Europe, Iberdrola reveals.
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