Spain
As a member of the European Union, Spain has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 26 percent in 2030, and by 80 to 95 percent before 2050. Among other measures, the country will need to change the composition of its gasoline/diesel-powered vehicles and, above all, expand its electric charging infrastructure. Aside from electric vehicle prices and autonomy, extending the charging network is one of the most significant changes necessary for electric mobility to become a reality in the coming years. Spain is already far behind EU targets. For example, to comply with the EU’s objectives, some 300,000 electric cars were needed by 2020, as well as 11,000 fast or semi-fast charging stations, as reported by the consultancy firm Deloitte. However, while production of cars in Spain for sale in Spain grew 80% in 2020 over that of 2019, it has been reported that there is only a total of 27,689 units of electric vehicles in use in Spain. As will be reference later, the majority of Spain’s production is being sold outside of Spain.
A greater offer from manufacturers, aided, in the case of electric vehicles, by the possibility of subscribing to (few) plans with subsidies for purchasing vehicles, has pushed new vehicle registrations up. The number of electric vehicles currently on the road is in line with this market’s annual volume of new vehicle registrations with strong growth over the last 3 years.
Further growth will be exponential: estimates show that by 2030, there should be close to six million electric vehicles and 50,000 charging points.
There has been very little competition in the Spanish market as there are few companies fully dedicated to the adaptability of vehicles. Since the enforcement of new European laws in 2018, there has been a great number of new companies dedicated exclusively to the manufacture of specialty vehicles in Spain, and in Europe in general. Others have only dedicated part of their work to this and have recently decided to have full dedication to the adaptation of all types of vehicles. Reports for the first quarter of 2020 estimate that USD 3,700,000 worth of Spanish medium and heavy-duty hybrid vehicles have been exported to the U.S.
While the numbers of electric/hybrid vehicles on the road in Spain are currently lagging, the popularity of hybrid vehicles (those that combine two sources of energy) and electric vehicles is on the rise. Sales of hybrid/electric cars went up in Spain, where the market share increased from 1.8 % in 2018 to 4.5 % in 2019. Spain is one of the leading EU member states in the “Eco-Electromobility” market. 74 Spanish automotive companies and technology centers have contributed to over 60% of European
Electric Drive Vehicles Market Summary (includes hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid and electric, and fuel cell)
Market Entry
Market success depends on in-country presence (such as an agent, importer, distributor, franchisee) and price. U.S. companies wishing to use distribution, franchising and agency arrangements need to ensure that the agreements they put into place are in accordance with European Union (EU) and Slovak national laws. The Slovak Commercial Code closely follows EU legislation and recognizes agents, commissioned merchants, and brokers not bound by contract.
American exporters of vehicles, original equipment parts & components, aftermarket products & accessories to EU are subject to certification for quality and safety (i.e. regulatory requirements on technical norms and standards, environmental impact) conformity with existing European Commission Directives by a notified body in any EU member State. Once approval is granted, it should be accepted by all member states across the EU. Yet, individual member states may enforce more strict or additional regulatory requirements for specific product groups. In general, there are no other trade/import restrictions other than import duties. Since these may be subject to change, please see TARIC, the integrated Tariff of the European Union for relevant information. A certified management system is required for access to new markets and customers in Slovakia and Europe.
Current Market Trends & Demands
2020 car sales dropped by 31% on average. As of December 31, 2020, there are 2,373,264 M1 cars (3,357,777 vehicles) registered at the Slovak Ministry of Interior. Slovaks own less cars per 1,000 inhabitants compared to other EU nations. While in the past this trend was determined by weak purchase power, nowadays it is caused by changing consumer behavior and shared economy.
Based on the approved EU’s Mobility Strategy Slovakia through Slovak Ministry of Economy implements “ The National Policy Framework for Alternative Fuels Market Development" which indicates the target to have 35,000 E- vehicles and plug-in hybrids by 2030 on the Slovak roads and 1,500 racks for medium-fast charging (up to 22 kW) and fast charging (above 22 kW) by 2025.
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