Charging electric vehicles on the public network can be twice as expensive as at home, according to a study by the Lisbon Catholic School of Business and Economics, which points out the “less competition” in this market.
“The price of the public network for electric vehicles It is similar to the price of refueling a diesel car.but it would be much cheaper if the user simply charged it at home,” states the study carried out in October, based on March 2024 prices.
According to the study “Electric mobility in Portugal: where are we and where are we going?”, carried out in October 2024, by the Lisbon Catholic School of Business and Economics, “this high price on the public network could also be exacerbated by Reduction of competition in the charging infrastructure market.in which 57% of the charging stations are owned by the three largest operators.”
Added to the cost is “the insufficient charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in Portugal, especially fast and, above all, ultra-fast chargers”: 101 Portuguese municipalities still do not have fast public stations and 231 municipalities do not have ultra-fast public stations. chargers — is another of the gaps mentioned in the study that shows that “Portugal will not be able to achieve the objectives proposed in the Roadmap for Carbon Neutrality 2050 (RNC2050).”
“Even in the presence of unrealistic scenarios, such as if the sale of traditional vehicles were banned, or if the market share of electric vehicles in Portugal grew at the rate of the share of Norway, the leader in adoption of electric vehicles, the the objectives would not be achieved”, prayer.
In addition, the document also points out that “it is possible to identify gaps in public policies” in electric mobility.
Recognizing that “Portugal already has incentives for the acquisition of electric vehicles, such as subsidies and tax deductions or exemptions”, There is a lack of “support for the installation and maintenance of charging infrastructure in the public network.”as offered in other countries with high adoption rates of electric vehicles.”
“The only infrastructure support measure is aimed at chargers located in condominiums, and has restrictions on the number of chargers that can receive support per condominium,” he explains, arguing that, according to the bibliographic review carried out, “the most effective measure and consistent They are incentives for infrastructure.”
“At the same time, acquisition support presents a great variability of results, not being as solid and efficient. Therefore, a change in the focus of public policies is necessary, towards promote infrastructure“, he proposes.
It also considers that other supports, such as free tolls and access to priority roads for electric vehicle users, could be useful and profitable in Portugal.”
Cited in the statement, Joana Silva, professor at CATÓLICA-LISBOA, highlights that “Portugal’s progress in the electric vehicle sector is notable and there are already around 130,000 100% electric vehicles. But Portugal will not reach carbon neutrality targets until 2035 and 2050, even if all new vehicles sold from today are electric.”
The objectives are that, in 2050, 100% of the vehicle fleet will be EV, with an intermediate objective of 36% in 2035. The study “Electric mobility in Portugal: where are we and where are we going?” It was financed by Grupo Brisa.
Source: Observadora
