5 April, 2022
Posted by: Jorge Platero
Category: Faconauto News
Nearly 674,000 hybrid and electric cars circulated on Spanish roads at the end of 2020.
Sustainable mobility has been placed at the center of the automotive industry. The pressure to meet environmental targets has led to a change in the dealers’ sales strategy. However, the expansion of this type of vehicle is still not enough. According to the study We are Safe, prepared by UNESPA, in Spain there were 674,017 passenger cars circulating with engines alternative to diesel and gasoline in the total fleet at the end of 2020.
A figure that must be put in context with the current vehicle park from Spain. Of the 32 million vehicles in Spain, 24.6 million are passenger cars. The cars are divided, according to the type of engine, into diesel (14.9 million), gasoline (9 million) and other engines (674,017). This last group is made up almost entirely of hybrids and electrics. Clean engines therefore represent 2.7% of the car fleet.
The profile of drivers with hybrid and electric vehicles
According to the study, veteran drivers are the most likely to drive a battery-powered vehicle. Specifically, 2.61% of drivers between the ages of 51 and 65 use a hybrid or electric car. Young people (those under 30 years of age) and seniors (those over 65 years of age) are the least likely to drive a clean vehicle.
Income is still the most relevant factor when choosing one type of propulsion or another. The provinces and municipalities with the highest GDP tend to present higher rates. Other factors that favor the adoption of these vehicles are urban traffic (hybrids and electric vehicles have more presence in large cities and their metropolitan areas than in rural areas) and the existence of fleets in a territory (ie. taxis, VTC, rental, leasing …).
Regarding the geographical distribution of clean cars, it is revealed that the provinces with a higher rate of vehicles with this technology are Madrid (4.87% of the local mobile fleet), Barcelona (3.66%), Balearic Islands (2 .54%), Girona (2.46%) and Álava (2.42%).
Toyota, at the forefront of electrification
And how is the distribution by brands? In electric mobility in Spain there is a name that stands out with a clear difference: Toyota. This Japanese firm manufactures 52% of the clean vehicles that circulate in the country, to which must be added those of Lexus, its high-end saloon subsidiary, whose logo appears on another 11%. Together, these two brands mark the front of 63% of hybrid and electric cars in the country. Other names present in this segment are KIA, Opel, Dacia and Hyundai. Their market shares in the existing hybrid and electric fleet in Spain are around 4%.
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