Recent statements by leaders in the electric mobility sector in Spain underline the urgency of expanding the ultra-fast charging network in the country.
Despite increasing electrification, data shows that 93% of public charging points offer capacities below 150 kW.
This poses a significant problem for EV drivers, who rely on infrastructure that allows them to make long journeys quickly and efficiently.
Javier Goikoetxea, Chairman of the Board of Directors at LetMeCharge, highlights the need to accelerate this expansion in a LinkedIn post.
“At the end of 2022, we had approximately 260 ultra-fast charging points in Spain, which represented just 2% of the entire public network,” he says.
And he adds: “Today, this figure exceeds 7%, reaching a total of just over 550 points. In order to be able to travel in an electric car, this is the network that must grow.”
In this context, he calls on government authorities to act, pointing out that most of the slow charging network hinders a practical driving experience.
“What is the government waiting for to make it easier for companies to invest in the growth of this network and at the same time promote technologies that facilitate ultra-fast public charging, which will make life easier for drivers?”, he states.
Pressure on the administration is increasing, as companies in the sector demand not only more charging points, but also high-power charging stations.
“In 2024, it is incredible that we are still dealing with such a limited charging network,” says Florencio Martínez Carbonell, expert in Business Development and Digital Transformation Projects.
In this sense, he emphasizes that it is not just about adding more points, but ensuring that they are fast enough “so that long trips do not become an odyssey.”
“The government has a unique opportunity to boost this sector, which would generate confidence in drivers and facilitate a massive transition to electric vehicles,” he says.
Data from the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers (ANFAC) reveals that, although Spain continues to advance in electrification, the pace is slow.
In the latest Electromobility Barometer, published for the third quarter of 2024, a 6.1% increase in public charging points was observed, reaching a total of 37,876 points.
However, this growth is still below the projections needed to meet the decarbonisation targets of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) and the European Union’s “Fit for 55” package.
They set a target of 63,500 stations by the end of the year.
A crucial point in this analysis is that more than 21% of the currently installed infrastructure is not operational.
This translates into 10,333 “refueling” points that, although installed, are not working.
If all of these were operational, the total available infrastructure would amount to 48,209, bringing Spain closer to its planned objectives.
“There is a bottleneck that is slowing down the development of the charging infrastructure,” says an ANFAC representative.
He added: “It is essential that this situation is resolved so that the growth of electric vehicles is not further limited.”
The Barometer also points out that only 29% of publicly accessible charging points have a power greater than 22 kW.
ANFAC estimates that by 2024, at least 51% of the points should offer higher power to facilitate fast recharging.
In this context, 2,705 ultra-fast chargers have been installed, representing 7.1% of the total number of operational points in the country.
Experts agree that a coordinated approach from the Government is required.
“It is essential to establish tools that facilitate the deployment of the charging network in capillarity, quantity and quality,” suggested ANFAC.
