For now, the deployment of low-emission zones has already reached Madrid and the metropolitan area of Barcelona and will be complemented by the current regulation urging municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants to establish low-emission zones.
In total, 149 Spanish cities have more than 50,000 inhabitants (and comprise 53% of the country’s population), rising to 416 if cities with more than 20,000 inhabitants are included.
The implementation of low-emission zones is one of the crucial measures to comply with the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030 (PNIEC). This sets a reduction target of 27 million tons of CO2 in the transport-mobility sector by 2030. The Climate Change and Energy Transition Act has included them in Article 14 “Promoting zero-emission mobility”. This determines the mandatory nature of its implementation in municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants before 2023 (a total of 149, according to 2020 data from the INE, representing 53.1% of the total population of Spain).
That is why the oldest and most polluting cars will have to disappear from our streets and highways in the coming years. The Directorate-General for Traffic has published an instruction on low-emission zones and other regulations for access to vehicles in urban areas in which the vertical ZBE sign is made and invites local entities to inform the DGT about these areas, as well as other vehicle access regulations established in their municipality to include it in the DGT 3.0 platform and be able to disseminate this information to all drivers in real time and free of charge.
The regulation prescribes that municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants – but also municipalities with more than 20,000 with air quality exceedances – and island areas must establish low-emission zones before 2023. The Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge is already working on guidelines for the establishment of LEZs that will facilitate their development under the provisions of the law. Therefore, drivers should pay attention to the new vertical sign indicating the areas in which access is limited to all those vehicles that do not have an environmental label. The sign indicates that these low-emission areas will therefore only be accessible to models with the C, ECO and ZERO label.
Electric cars and zero-emission passenger cars are spared the restrictions, but not without problems. According to the II Northgate Renting Flexible Mobility Survey, although Spain is the second largest automaker on the continent, it has only 3.4% of the number of chargers on the continent. This is passed on to citizens, who do not know where these charging ports can be found, more than half of the respondents (55%) do not know where the charging stations are closest to their home or work.
When it comes to accessing this type of vehicle, users are looking for flexible solutions that adapt to their needs, such as flexible rental. That is why, of Spaniards who value renting an electric car, 44% would do so because of the flexibility that comes with this service.
Little by little, environmental awareness and the search for fuel economy are also decisive factors. They assure Europcar that the presence of electric cars and more sustainable rentals is a great opportunity for the public to become familiar with this type of technology.
From their perspective, factors such as the fact that electric cars do not generate any emissions of polluting gases and the charging costs are much lower than traditional ones play in their favour.
While the car is still the preferred alternative to get to work, more and more workers are deciding to change their way of commuting during the work day to a more efficient and sustainable way. On the occasion of European Mobility Week, which will be celebrated from September 16 to 22, Norauto is analyzing the way the company’s employees prefer to go to work. Public transport is therefore the most chosen option for those who work in the inner city. However, when we talk about jobs near or on the outskirts, motorcycles and bicycles are two of the great alternatives. As the company points out, the car remains the preferred way for its employees to get to work, but they are increasingly opting for motorcycles or bicycles.
On the other hand, according to the II report on electric mobility, directed by May López, professor at the OBS Business School and director of the development of the platform Companies for sustainable mobility, electric vehicles represent 15% of the total profit from sales. of vehicles. 450 car models available (14 in Spain) and profits are expected to quadruple by 2027.
In the first quarter of 2022, 2 million electric vehicles were sold worldwide (75% more than in the same period in 2021) despite the effects of Covid-19, the semiconductor crisis, the supply chain break, the crisis and the war in Ukraine. For the first time, more electric passenger cars are sold than diesel.
May López also explains that the administration plays a key role as both the need to comply with the Clean Vehicles Directive (2009/33/EC), which sets minimum public procurement targets for low-emission vehicles, and the adoption of the Climate Change Act and energy transition requiring more than 140 Spanish municipalities to set up low-emission zones by 2023, the demand for electric vehicles will increase.
The report states that hydrogen is presented as the promising solution, especially for heavy industrial vehicles and buses, maritime transport, rail transport or aviation, but by the end of 2021 there were 136 hydrogen plants available in only 10 of the EU countries. (3 in Spain, but without public access).
Source: La Verdad
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
