The sale of electric cars continues at an uneven pace in Europe, despite the fact that in August it reached a market share above 20% for the first time. The data released by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) confirms the leap forward led by the most environmentally friendly models, since the weight of sales in August 2022 was 11.6%. As far as hybrid cars are concerned, their market share this past August was 24%.
However, the preference of European drivers for electrified models marks an uneven trend. While the penetration of the electric car is greater in northern Europe, in others, such as Spain, its presence is still testimonial. According to data published by ACEA, only 4.7% of the vehicles sold in Spain in 2023 are electric, which places our country in 24th place out of 31 in the ranking. Spain is also not among the best in percentage of sales of plug-in hybrids, with 16th place.
Norway leads the ranking in sales of electric models between January and July with 82.9% of total registrations. Although it is true that the Scandinavian country is a special case, in general the implementation of electric vehicles is greater in northern European countries, although in France and Portugal they will exceed 15% in 2023.
The Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) highlights, however, that although only 4.7% of electric vehicles have been sold in Spain in the first seven months of the year, this percentage is higher than that recorded in 2022. (3.8%). However, he emphasizes that this growth is not significant and attributes it to several reasons.
Firstly, the OCU considers that the shortage of public chargers and the pending improvements for the network to be operational weigh on user preferences. These shortcomings complicate the autonomy and use of these cars on long trips, highlights the consumer association.
Another aspect that stops drivers from opting for an electric car is the fact that many homes do not have their own parking space. According to the OCU, they represent more than 60%, so users do not have the possibility of installing home chargers.
Finally, the OCU cites the increase in the price of electricity and the amount that must be paid for an electric car as other factors that slow down the advance of zero-emission models in our country's vehicle fleet.
The Government's forecasts are that in 2030 5.45 million electric vehicles will circulate in Spain, according to the text of the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC). The Executive's figures are very ambitious taking into account that as of December 31, 2022, 325,675 vehicles were registered, including pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, according to data from Aedive, the employer association that brings together the electromobility value chain.
