SPAIN DATA: Electric vehicle sales in 2022 rise 21%

Spanish electric vehicle sales in 2022 increased to 100,425 units, up 21% from 2021, although total vehicle sales declined 5%, according to figures published Jan. 2.

Fully electric vehicle sales were 52,224, up 32%, while hybrid vehicle sales increased 11% to 48,201, Spanish EV associations AEDIVE and GANVAM said.

The 2022 additions mean that around 325,000 EVs are currently on Spain’s roads, meaning the country is behind its target of 5 million EVs under its decarbonization plans for 2030, the groups said.

“The administration should put measures in place to accelerate this transition, such as financial incentives to make demand more dynamic and make efficient mobility a more affordable option,” they said.

The EV sales target for 2022 had been 120,000 units.

Increased demand for EVs has driven up battery metal prices; Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, assessed seaborne lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide at $75,000/mt CIF North Asia and $81,300/mt CIF North Asia Jan. 3, up 124% and 156.5% year on year, respectively.

From Jan. 1, Spain plans to roll out a program to create low emission zones in all towns and cities with populations of more than 50,000, affecting 25 million people.

Meanwhile, total Spanish vehicle sales in 2022 fell 5% year on year to 814,000 units, due to rising fuel prices and inflation, according to figure from auto association ANFAC published Jan. 2.

The volume was below the forecast of 830,000 units, it said, with the group also expressing pessimism for 2023 due to supply chain bottlenecks and higher raw material prices, among other factors.

— Gianluca Baratti