L-Charge, a British EV-charger manufacturer conducted a broad survey among the EV-users in Madrid, right after launching its commercial test operation in the city. The survey showed that owners of electric vehicles are often dissatisfied with the existing charging infrastructure for a variety of reasons.
Finding a charging point in Spain is often not easy. Even though major energy companies have announced plans to install thousands of charging points in the coming years, Spain currently only has around 10,000 charging points, of which slightly over 1,200 are in Madrid. 57% of the poll responders said there are not enough chargers in the city, while 69% note they need not only more of any type of charger, but fast chargers. Although there are some fast-charging stations in Madrid, people complain about those often being occupied (15%) or inconveniently placed (31%).
Another pain for EV-users is that many of existing fast charging points do not always match the declared capacity. It is also too expensive to charge an EV fast, 46% of respondents say. However, 73% of people said they are willing to pay more for a better service.
L-Charge says this is an important indicator, especially for those, who insist on a "demand first" approach. According to the survey results, the demand is already in place - it is the infrastructure that is lagging. According to Motorpasion.com, 83% are slow chargers (less than 22 kW), which equates to an average charge time of three hours in most electric vehicles on the market today. Of those surveyed, 27% claimed they spend around 2-3 hours to charge an EV, while for 35% it takes 4-8 hours. Among the main inconveniences when using the charging infrastructure, users highlighted the lack of slow and fast charging stations (50% and 57% respectively). Only 11% of EV drivers have no problems using fast charging stations.
L-Charge conducted the survey in November-December 2022, when launching the first moving uber-like charging service in the city. The company develops off-grid ultra-fast charging solutions, including a mobile charging station that can be called up as a taxi from any place in a city.
