Half of Madrid’s neighbourhoods lack charging for their vehicles: “If things carry on like this, electromobility will always be a business for the rich”

The Community of Madrid has 5,000 fewer charging points than Catalonia, and experts argue that “common charging stations are missing in working-class neighbourhoods”.

For years, the slogan “electromobility is the future” has dominated the automotive market in Europe, and in Spain too, where, according to Félix García from the Spanish Association of Car and Truck Manufacturers (ANFAC), “electrification must be accelerated”.

Carlos Vázquez, managing director of Qwello in Spain, is blunt: “In our country, electric vehicles make up less than 2% of the car fleet, which is a real disgrace compared with the rest of Europe.” According to the report cited, Spain lags behind the European average not only in electromobility but also in charging infrastructure.

Progress in electrification depends not only on the number of vehicles registered but also on the availability of charging stations and their competitive pricing. In recent years, city councils such as Madrid’s have been pushing for fast-charging points (above 50 kilowatt-hours).

By the end of 2024, Madrid, as Spain’s capital and main national hub for electromobility, had 184 fast-charging stations. Of these, only 45 offered ultra-fast charging, above 100 kilowatts. Moreover, out of the capital’s 131 neighbourhoods, only 67 had access to fast-charging facilities.

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Read the full original article on El Mundo here.