Spain has gone nearly a year without any incentives for the purchase of electric trucks, putting at risk the goal of reaching 35% zero-emission truck sales by 2030.
Although the roadmap for the decarbonization of heavy-duty transport in Europe is already in place, the tools required to achieve it are still missing. This was one of the main concerns raised by manufacturers during the 2nd Industrial Vehicle Forum organized by Anfac, the Spanish automobile manufacturers association.
According to Anfac estimates, meeting the targets set by the EU’s Fit for 55 package requires that 35% of new trucks sold in 2030 be fully electric.
This milestone would represent a 45% reduction in CO₂ emissions compared to 2020 levels. However, current adoption of electric trucks remains extremely low, at just 1.2% across both the EU average and the Spanish market.
“Heavy-duty transport is completely off the public aid radar,” warned Josep María Recasens, president of Anfac. The Moves Mitma program—the last dedicated funding scheme for industrial vehicles—ended in April 2024 and has not been renewed. Since then, no active mechanism has been in place to support the electrification of fleets in this key segment of road transport.
When asked about this situation during the forum, Elena Mª Atance, Director General of Road Transport, did not confirm whether a new plan would be launched in the short term. She said that future aid could be included in the 2026–2032 Social Climate Fund, which is expected to have a budget of €9.1 billion. However, she did not specify how much of this fund would be allocated to road freight transport.
Currently, only around 1,000 electric trucks operate in Spain, out of a total fleet exceeding 600,000 vehicles. Recasens warned that the transition will be unfeasible without an appropriate incentive framework: “We need the same effort that is being made with passenger cars. You can’t demand without providing support.” He also pointed out that the 2024–2026 Industrial Vehicle Roadmap, presented by the association last year, has seen little progress on the part of the government.
Meanwhile, López-Tafall emphasized that in addition to financial support, electrifying heavy transport requires high-power charging infrastructure, which is still lacking across most logistics corridors and rest areas. “A truck can’t afford to be idle for five hours. Logistics demands efficiency and speed.”
In this context, delays in incentive policies could lead to a loss of competitiveness for Spain, which is currently the leading manufacturer of industrial vehicles in Europe. The country also has a value chain employing over 600,000 people and representing 4.8% of national GDP.
