Of the more than five million vehicles circulating in Catalonia, only 14% are electric. Given the climate situation and the objectives set by the EU, the Government of Salvador Illa has proposed to go from this 14% to 40% within five years. "To achieve this, we must start working in a coordinated, organized and decisive way," according to Illa, which is why the Generalitat has launched a plan to mobilize 1.400 million euros from the public and private sectors until 2030.
The plan includes 240 million in credits to renew business fleets and 200 more for self-employed workers and micro-enterprises"The obstacles to achieving this 40% are the cost of electric vehicles, an insufficient infrastructure of the charging point network and a limited public perception of the benefits of this new technology, which are many," Illa defended in the presentation of the Electric Vehicle Promotion Plan 2025-2030. The president highlighted that progress is already being made to overcome these obstacles, also from the industry: "The companies present in Catalonia have done and are doing their job", which will lead to having electric cars "at a cost comparable to combustion ones."
Thus, "the plan will attack the other two factors: increasing the charging network and improving the limited perception of benefits," the president explained. To do this, the plan aims to triple the rate of penetration of electric vehicles in Catalonia, for which it will offer economic incentives for their purchase, "so that the electric vehicle is not a luxury for a few, but a tool for the majority." With this objective of "democratizing the electric vehicle," the plan includes 240 million in credits to renew business fleets and 200 more for freelancers and micro-enterprises. "And from the Government of the Generalitat, we will set an example and electrify 90% of our fleet," Illa announced.
In addition, the plan proposes to double the electric charging points, with up to 9,000 new public access charging points owned by the Generalitat, and up to a total of 35,000 new public access points by 2030: "You have to be able to go from Tortosa to the Vall d'Aran with the same peace of mind with which we find gas stations in the territory." Thus, the objective is to bring charging points to the entire territory, and not just metropolitan areas, which are more profitable for companies: "It is about supplying the entire territory of Catalonia, and we will pay special attention above all to inland Catalonia and rural Catalonia."
This roadmap to accelerate the penetration of electric vehicles in the market, which is part of the Government's Catalunya Lidera plan, of 18,500 million until 2030, has been presented a few days after the Government of Illa, the central Government, that of Navarra and that of the Valencian Community staged, together with Seat, a commitment to promote the implementation of the electric car, with the Casa Seat Declaration. In fact, the president of Seat and Cupra, Wayne Griffiths, who attended the presentation, applauded the Government's plan: "It is a very important step."
And it is that public-private collaboration acquires a key role to advance in this area. For this reason, the administration is committed to working with the sector, to which new actors have joined, with Ebro at the forefront, and which is made up of 350 industrial companies linked to the automotive industry in Catalonia. "It is a third of the total that exists in Spain," highlighted Mireia Llobet, consultant at the Office for the Transformation of the Automotive Sector and Optimal Mobility of the Government, along with Manel Clavijo, also a consultant at the entity. Together with the sector, the plan wants to act as an accelerator for electric vehicles and represent a "turning point," as Illa has said. To achieve this, the plan is presented as a "leap of ambition" for a sector "absolutely essential" for Catalonia and its future.