Seville Advocates for Efficient, Integrated, and Sustainable Transport

During the Electromobility Conference in Andalusia's metropolitan areas, organised by Vectalia and held this Wednesday, the necessity of continuing to work towards sustainable, clean, and efficient transport was highlighted. Operators, suppliers, and manufacturers, addressing an audience of a hundred attendees, emphasised the need to clarify the uncertainties currently surrounding electromobility. The debate underscored the importance of establishing funding frameworks for electric fleets and the need for careful planning of networks and supply points to achieve efficient public transport.

In the opening remarks, Mario Muñoz-Atanet, Deputy Minister of Development, Territorial Articulation, and Housing, highlighted "the commitment of the Andalusian Government to mobility, increasing investment from 800 million euros to the 2,000 million euros planned this year" in projects such as new metro lines and mobility plans in various metropolitan areas.

During the conference, which was supported by Iberdrola and the Seville Chamber of Commerce, it was noted that Andalusia is Spain's most populous autonomous community, though only the seventh in population density per square kilometre. However, it boasts significant economic activity hubs, making efficient, integrated, and sustainable public transport systems crucial, especially in response to the needs of its major metropolitan areas, as stated by Berta Barrero, CEO of Vectalia.

Antonio Fernández, Iberdrola's delegate in Andalusia, pointed out that "Iberdrola has 1,200 charging points in Andalusia and over 8,600 nationwide, establishing itself as a key player in the transition towards sustainable mobility." Fernández stated that "expanding the charging network remains a priority, with the current goal to increase rapid and ultra-rapid charging infrastructure at strategic points in the region."

Ángel Hernández, Vectalia's Mobility Director, cited Alicante as an example where "a private operator has pioneered this technology by incorporating 30 fully electric buses over the past year." Meanwhile, Miguel Ruiz, President of SMASSA (Municipal Parking Company of Málaga S.A.), highlighted the funding challenges for renewing bus fleets with electric vehicles. Fabrizio Toscano, General Manager of IVECO Bus Iberia, declared that "our mission at IVECO Bus is to consolidate our position as a leader in the European market, with a strategy based on innovation and technological neutrality, offering our clients a wide range of sustainable solutions tailored to different needs, including hybrid, fully electric, and hydrogen options with our urban E-WAY H2 model; all manufactured in our plants in France and the Czech Republic." Additionally, Iberdrola explained its commitment to deploying electric mobility solutions through the strategic alliance Iberdrola | bp pulse, which plans "an investment of 1,000 million euros to accelerate the expansion of charging points across Spain," concluded Fernández.

Toscano also highlighted that IVECO's range of class I and II electric vehicles is designed to boost sustainable urban and interurban mobility without compromising performance or efficiency, clearly demonstrating our commitment to cleaner and more efficient transport, especially for cities.

Finally, Ángel Hernández from Vectalia announced that "the technical evolution of vehicles, particularly in battery technology, will soon allow buses to have sufficient autonomy to transition from urban to metropolitan routes." Vectalia, in addition to operating regular passenger transport concessions in urban and interurban areas, manages other urban mobility services in several Spanish cities, such as public transport terminals, parking facilities, bus stations like the one in Córdoba, and eco-sustainable last-mile delivery services, where they are also investing in electric energy.