Transportation, which is part of the daily lives of millions of people, is one of the factors that most influence the path towards the decarbonization of the economy. But it is not only essential for the health of the planet, it is also essential for the health of people. Hence, it is absolutely essential to move towards sustainable mobility. The route is mapped out, but more speed is needed for the trip. This was one of the conclusions of a “Dialogues in La Vanguardia” session that, in collaboration with BBVA and under the title “The mobility route: sustainable, connected and viable”, brought together experts in the field. Carlos Martínez, head of Sustainable Mobility at BBVA Spain, participated in the debate; Josep Pont, CEO of Maas, one of the most important automotive groups in Catalonia; and Ángel López, CEO of Ozone Drive Switch, a technology startup specialized in advanced mobility services.
Sustainable mobility, Martínez argued, is part of the fight against climate change and the decarbonization of the economy, “one of the biggest disruptions” of today's society, essential to comply with the Paris Agreements. “And that means achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050,” he said. Less than 30 years to make a very big ambition come true, summarized the BBVA expert, for whom the automotive sector, which in Spain represents 10% of the GDP and 9% of employment, “is strategic” in this commitment to decarbonization. “We must give priority to these investments and help the sector advance in the transition,” he stated.
There was consensus that progress has been made, but not at the necessary speed. “There is still much to do to make transportation electrification a consolidated reality,” Martínez reasoned. The data confirms this. The share of electrified vehicles in Spain is almost half of the European average. The CEO of Ozone Drive Switch, for his part, was optimistic because, he said, “all the pieces are falling into place and important steps are being taken.” However, he emphasized that administrations, companies and individuals “must continue making efforts.” “And this necessarily involves a more intense and agile public-private and public-public collaboration, which allows barriers to be overcome,” Martínez added. Charging infrastructure is revealed in the eyes of citizens as one of the problems when adopting electric mobility.
And while it is true that, even growing at double digits, Spain is far from reaching the 100,000 public charging points set as a goal for the end of this year - they do not reach 30,000 -, it is no less true that the infrastructure is underused, with an average usage of 6%. However, and looking to the not-too-distant future, Martínez advocated giving a boost to its growth and facilitating the processing of licenses. In this sense, he explained that Spain has an ecosystem of companies that are investing heavily to install more and more charging points. There are currently 7,000 waiting to enter service.
López highlighted that many public charging points have been installed in cities, but considered that they are probably more necessary on highways and highways because it is important to be able to charge quickly when traveling. “And there is a lot to do there,” he added, but not before allaying the fear of many consumers that there will not be enough energy to charge cars if everyone has an electric vehicle.
What is the profile of the buyer of an electric car? According to the experience of the CEO of Mass, he is a middle-aged person, living mainly in urban areas, with a partner and children, concerned about reducing his carbon footprint, with high purchasing power, interested in technology and motivated by tax benefits. . In addition, the family unit already has another vehicle, always a combustion vehicle. “They are the ‘early adopters,’” summarized the BBVA executive, for whom any change, for it to be widely embraced by society, requires time of management and assimilation. “The paradigm shift is brutal, we have been using technology based on fossil fuels for years and we will not be able to change to the electrified vehicle overnight,” he stated, recalling, as an example, the years that had to pass until the Mobile phones were adopted massively. In Pont's opinion, the renewal of the Spanish automobile fleet, one of the oldest and most polluting in Europe, has to be done in a “more effective and gradual” way and with “convincing formulas.”
Pont added that the concerns expressed by customers at the dealership: available charging infrastructure, vehicle autonomy, tax incentives and price, mainly. “The customer is not willing to pay more for an electric car than for a combustion car,” he said, while calling for “clearer, more attractive and easier to achieve tax policies.” Currently, incentives are channeled through taxation, with a return on income, and the consumer, he said, “runs away from this type of aid.” To alleviate these fears, dealers offer alternative formulas to purchasing, such as pay-per-use or renting.
López, who assured that Ozone Drive, created in 2011, has had “the privilege” of seeing the birth of the electric vehicle sector, recalled how much it cost for a customer to get into one of these cars in those early stages. “And we have seen how that initial distrust has been transformed first into curiosity and then into interest,” he stated. Pont agreed with this growing interest, but said that the client is still very confused due to lack of information, which is why he opted for dissemination to “reduce user uncertainty.” Martínez not only supported this idea, but also highlighted that financial entities, in addition to offering financing and advice, are also committed to this necessary pedagogy.
In this scenario, commercial and industrial fleets have a lot to say. Companies, in López's opinion, “are one step ahead” of the individual client. It's not that they are more aware, he said, but that they show "more urgency and determination." In some cases, such as logistics, transportation or distribution companies, more concerned about costs, they know that electric vehicles or other technologies can provide significant savings; and in others, large corporations, due to their environmental awareness, decisively choose to renew their fleet with more ecological vehicles. Furthermore, in the opinion of the CEO of Ozone Drive Switch, companies are being a lever of change, because many private customers are aware of these technologies through their companies.
However, López assured that determining the optimal fleet for a company has today become a complex problem that cannot be solved in the traditional way.
“It is necessary to use technology so that fleet managers make decisions based on data and not intuition,” he added. SwitchFleet, Ozone Drive's technological platform, uses all the power of big data, advanced analytics and artificial intelligence to determine the ideal fleet for each company. “We do not intend to force change, but rather that it occurs when it makes sense,” she added. In addition, he highlighted the joint project with BBVA to facilitate green credits so that companies can undertake the necessary investments in fleet transformation and charging infrastructure.
In line with this statement, BBVA's head of sustainable mobility highlighted that the entity is clear that its role is to help its clients, whether they are private companies, "in this transition towards a more digital, sustainable and inclusive future." “We want to help turn this challenge into opportunities for growth and development for everyone,” he emphasized and explained that BBVA continually develops sustainable solutions, and not only in the field of mobility, but also in self-consumption and energy efficiency. Thus, he recalled that he was a pioneer in releasing a tool that helps companies and individuals measure their carbon footprint. The role of financial entities, he defended, should not be exclusively that of financing, but rather they must act as disseminating agents, “providing certainty and offering quality advice.”
Regarding sustainable solutions, BBVA already had a comparator of the costs and savings of electric vehicles in its mobile application. Recently, it has launched a new functionality for individuals that goes far beyond that comparison, since its purpose is to disseminate the importance of betting on emission-free mobility and supporting the entire purchase decision process. To do this, the advantages of ECO vehicles are explained in detail, such as the available subsidies, details of Low Emission Zones and even includes a charging point finder. In addition, from the application itself, you can view an extensive catalog with the entire range of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles offered by several official participating dealers. With this, the financial institution accompanies the process. “Our commitment is clear,” Martínez added. This functionality is operational in the Community of Madrid and the province of Barcelona, but will be extended.
