Spain | Greenhouse gas emissions as a problem, electric vehicle as a solution?

Summary

A necessary condition for mitigating GHG emissions from road transport is its electrification. To maximise the contribution of the electric vehicle to meeting the decarbonisation targets, its diffusion must be accelerated and the share of fossil fuels in electricity generation must be reduced.

Key points

• Key points:
• Given the growing share of road transport in GHG emissions, the European and Spanish authorities have increased regulatory pressure on the automotive sector in order to boost the decarbonisation of the economy.
• A necessary condition for mitigating GHG emissions from cars is its electrification. This is recognised by both EU Regulation 2019/631 and the PNIEC 2021-2030.
• The contribution of the electric vehicle to the fulfilment of the decarbonisation objectives is conditioned by its popularisation. Despite the progress made in 2020, its deployment barely reaches 3.6% of the car registrations in Spain and 7% in the EU.
• What are the challenges that transport electrification must overcome in order to contribute to the decarbonisation of the economy? The higher cost of electric vehicles, the change in consumer preferences and the convenience of modifying the energy mix.
• To face these challenges, it would be desirable to boost innovation in the field of electromobility, increase the supply of electric vehicles, facilitate their use by expanding the recharging infrastructure, reduce their relative price and increase the participation of renewable sources in energy production. To this end, Next Generation EU funds should play a key role.

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