Tourists who rent electric vehicles have nowhere to charge them

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While electric vehicle sales continue to rise, concerns remain about the capacity of the charging infrastructure in Spanish territory

Car rental companies see the electrification of their fleets as an essential strategic step in their evolution towards the mobility of the future. Major international companies such as Hertz or Sixt have announced that they will expand their range of pure electric cars in 2022, while Europcar has confirmed that 20% of its fleet in Spain will be electric or hybrid this year, including freight vehicles. According to the National Business Federation of Vehicle Rental With and Without Driver (Feneval), an estimated 28% of available rental cars in Spain by 2022 will be electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid.

Also from the side of the users
Increased demand for electric rental cars These allow them to enter the urban centers of large cities without restrictions, facilitate mobility in natural and protected environments and reduce the impact of tourism. A study by the car rental platform Billiger-Mietwagen.de shows that Spain is the preferred destination for electric vehicle rental in Europe. 77% of electric vehicle rental on the continent was in Spain, mainly in major capitals such as Barcelona and Madrid, and in other tourist areas such as the Balearic Islands. However, the generalization of electric vehicles as an alternative to rental remains a major problem: the lack of charging points, a brake on electromobility in Spain.

“The supply and demand for electric cars in general, and rental in particular, are increasing significantly in Spain, but it suffers from a major drawback: the lack of charging points. The latest figures from the Spanish Association of Car and Truck Manufacturers (Anfac) estimate the number of charging points per million inhabitants at 245, combining public and private stations,” he explains.
Henrik Bergmann, regional director in Spain and Portugal of Charge Amps, a leading provider of smart charging solutions for electric vehicles. “This is in contrast to data from the Mobility Institute, which shows that two in three drivers are willing to pay more to pollute less with their own and rented vehicles. However, 38% of these do not opt ​​for electromobility due to the lack of charging infrastructure.

Balearic Islands is a
example of electrical adjustment: The administration promotes the installation of public charging points, which are complemented by private stations in tourist infrastructure. At the moment there are 880 public charging points available and work is underway to reach 8,000 charging points on the islands by 2030. Other areas with a large influx of tourists such as the Costa Blanca, Costa Dorada or Costa del Zo still have a very low availability of chargers, making it difficult to use electric vehicles.

In the meantime, keep the
concerns about infrastructure capacity charging on Spanish territory. Despite the efforts of the administrations to support the roll-out of chargers, it is the private non-residential infrastructures that update their offer. According to Royal Decree 29/2021, all car parks with more than 20 places must have at least one charging point from 1 January 2023 and one extra for every 40 places. In the case of tourist facilities, this requirement is particularly relevant, as the vehicles with which visitors arrive need infrastructure adapted to their needs.

«The hotels, restaurants or campsites that adapt to electromobility will get a competitive advantage from this year, something that they can benefit from in the coming seasons. By becoming a reference for those tourists who opt for electric vehicles, we can retain customers and stand out in the market,” says Bergman. “In addition, for tourist infrastructures far from urban centers, such as amusement parks, monuments or natural areas, offering chargers essential to ensure that all visitors can arrive without any problems.”

Source: La Verdad

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