After the announcement by the Government of Spain to set a deadline for the registration and sale in Spain of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles with direct carbon dioxide emissions by 2040, many doubts have arisen that I believe are not resolved. My vision is that an attempt is made to build the house from the roof and not from a solid foundation of innovation available for this date and of real impact on an important part of the Spanish GDP in vehicle production and auxiliary companies.
With any innovation, countless opportunities arise, but also many doubts and questions, some of which I list below.
- ¿How does this deadline affect Spanish production factories?
- Will a network of electric stations suitable for existing demand be prepared by 2040? How will current gas stations be transformed?
- How will it affect parking capacity in cities?
- Will there be real traffic restrictions in cities if vehicles are fully electric?
- Will Spain be able to assume the increase in electricity demand? What cost will the consumer bear?
- Will all households be prepared to have an electric car at home?
- What new life are we going to give to the millions of diesel, gasoline and hybrid cars as waste generated?
- Will electricity be a dependent and global aspect in our daily lives?
- Will the necessary electrical energy production be carried out using clean energy?
- What will happen to the entire transformation of auxiliary automotive companies?
- Will we have electric autonomous vehicles and therefore manage a new highway code?
- How will it affect vehicle insurance companies?
- Will new brands emerge that do not exist on the market right now?
- Will it only be committed to the electric vehicle or will it coexist, for example, with a hydrogen vehicle?
- What will public transportation be like in big cities?
- How does it affect industrial vehicles and agricultural vehicles?
- Will the current road network be modified?
And many more questions that will have to be answered with this exciting challenge that, from the analysis of innovation, we will have to provide answers from the analysis of the consumer, the sector and B2B.
The challenge has been launched and as the Romans said, “alea jacta est”. We hope to keep up with the events and for Spain to be a benchmark in innovation in this field.
Jordi Crespo
