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Juan Roig Valor
Jueves, 23 de enero 2025, 11:05
Interest in electric cars is waning just when European manufacturers need it most. If they fail to meet emission targets by 2025, as outlined by Brussels, they face fines amounting to billions of euros.
The demand for zero-emission mobility has been directly tied to government incentives for purchasing these cars. When governments like Germany and France withdrew their incentives, sales across Europe were impacted, causing Spain to lose its position as the eighth-largest car producer globally.
According to the latest study by the RACC's Mobility Institute, conducted for Europcar, the outlook for the next five years is not promising. Of those surveyed, only 10.9% are considering buying an electric vehicle to replace their current one.
The majority are considering hybrids, whether conventional (41.1%) or plug-in (15.6%). Meanwhile, traditional combustion models continue to capture the remaining third.
Gerardo Bermejo, the financial director of the Spanish subsidiary of the rental company, stated, "The electric car is still not captivating the majority of the population. Although more than a quarter of the population has experienced driving one, there are only 170,000 on the roads in Spain. We must emphasize their advantages to encourage their use: lower emissions, a range exceeding 500 km in many models, and avoiding mobility restrictions in cities."
Europcar operates a fleet of between 40,000 and 60,000 vehicles depending on seasonal peaks, of which around 2,000 are zero-emission. However, the study presented at Fitur indicates that the main reason for renting a car is price (90%), and 88.8% will choose a thermal or hybrid car next time they rent.
It's no surprise: although it's cheaper for rental companies—and drivers—to charge their cars than to refuel, the models remain more expensive than combustion ones. For customers, recharging involves managing distances and charging times during their holidays.
In fact, opting for a zero-emission car is closely linked to purchasing power: a third of the highest earners have driven one, while this proportion drops to 20% among the lowest earners. According to the RACC report, the reasons cited include fuel savings, ease of access to restricted areas in cities, and environmental respect.
"If electric vehicles are not taking off, it's not due to a lack of awareness but rather a lack of charging facilities and incentives. While some of our private customers still have reservations about electric vehicles, we must play a role in their adoption. We face a transitional challenge between what was and what will be, similar to the shift from manual to automatic transmissions," Bermejo concluded.
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