Mathilde Carlier
Research Expert covering transportation and logistics
Electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Spain - Statistics & facts
As the deadline for the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) targets inches closer, Spain faces various challenges on the path to growing its electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Spain would need over 183,900 electric vehicle chargers to meet the European Union’s AFIR objectives by 2030. While its 30,345 public charging points available at the end of the fourth quarter of 2023 would already meet the 2024 target, Spain faces various challenges to expanding its charging infrastructure. The country must contend with specific strategic and demographic hurdles on top of the obstacles typically associated with public charging build-up, which creates a complex ecosystem for market expansion.
Furthermore, nearly 8,900 charging points were inactive at the end of the third quarter of 2023, representing over a quarter of the public charging infrastructure in the country. A third of Spanish consumers reported interest in installing an electric vehicle charging station at home in 2023 . However, a lack of garage space or single-family homes could be one of the largest hurdles to EV home charging, which might increase pressure on an already challenged Spanish charging infrastructure.
Disparities are also observable between autonomous communities, with Catalonia and Madrid recording the largest charging networks. These two autonomous communities were also the biggest markets for electric vehicles in Spain, and the autonomous communities with the most inactive charging points. These differences between autonomous communities are even starker when considering the ratio of square kilometers per charger, as communities with lower population density tended to have larger distances between chargers. The challenges mentioned above and specific to Spain add a level of complexity to the development of its charging infrastructure in order to meet the AFIR objectives.
Charging infrastructure challenges akin to those in other European countries
Similarly to its European neighbors, most of Spain’s public charging infrastructure consisted of alternating current (AC) chargers, which tend to provide slower recharging options than direct current (DC) charging as electric vehicle batteries store power as direct current. In fact, most of Spain’s public AC charging points were medium-speed chargers, with power between 7.4 and 22 kilowatts. Given the growing Spanish electric vehicle fleet, the country’s need for fast-charging solutions could also increase, particularly in areas with a low ratio of charging stations to inhabitants.Furthermore, nearly 8,900 charging points were inactive at the end of the third quarter of 2023, representing over a quarter of the public charging infrastructure in the country. A third of Spanish consumers reported interest in installing an electric vehicle charging station at home in 2023 . However, a lack of garage space or single-family homes could be one of the largest hurdles to EV home charging, which might increase pressure on an already challenged Spanish charging infrastructure.
Demographic hurdles specific to Spain impact EV charging network deployment
Aside from challenges that other countries face, Spain also grapples with demographic obstacles when expanding its charging network. Spain boasts a few large cities, though these tend to record a charging infrastructure score lower than some of their European counterparts, including Lisbon, Portugal’s capital city. The high population density in Spanish cities is partly responsible for this lower score. However, the country’s urban areas had the highest concentration of charging stations per 100 square kilometers, at over 25 stations more than touristic areas, second in the ranking. Due to Spain’s high population density in cities, the charging infrastructure outside urban areas is sparser, including along major road corridors linking main cities in the country.Disparities are also observable between autonomous communities, with Catalonia and Madrid recording the largest charging networks. These two autonomous communities were also the biggest markets for electric vehicles in Spain, and the autonomous communities with the most inactive charging points. These differences between autonomous communities are even starker when considering the ratio of square kilometers per charger, as communities with lower population density tended to have larger distances between chargers. The challenges mentioned above and specific to Spain add a level of complexity to the development of its charging infrastructure in order to meet the AFIR objectives.
