Spanish drivers prefer gas cars over electric cars

There are more Spanish drivers who prefer a car with an engine adapted to the use of LPG or CNG instead of a fully electric one.

Sustainable mobility continues to gain followers in Spain. When buying a new car, more and more Spanish drivers prefer to opt for an alternative mobility option over traditional gasoline or diesel cars. Technologies such as electrified mechanics (HEV and PHEV) as well as more ecological alternative fuels such as LPG or CNG continue to gain disciples.

Despite this "fever" that is experienced by the purchase of ecological cars, the truth is that we are still far from being able to comply with the forecasts that the Government is considering in the coming decades. Just analyze the sales data of cars in Spain. The numbers do not deceive. Vehicles powered by alternative energies continue to represent a small part of the total registrations.

We are bombarded daily with the benefits and advantages of the electric car . However, there are many problems that must be solved for their massification to occur. However, the messages that reach us try to convince us of a situation that is unreal. The electric car is not the most popular sustainable mobility option.

According to data published by ANFAC (Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers), a total of 9,152 electric cars were sold between January and September 2019. A figure far from the 27,270 gas vehicles sold during the first nine months of 2019 . Sales of cars powered by automotive LPG (Autogas) or CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) continue to rise.

GAS VS ELECTRIC CAR SALES IN SPAIN

Kind	Sales Sep'19	Sales Jan-Sep'19
LPG / CNG	2,794	27,270
Electric	941	9,152

As we can see, gas vehicle sales practically triple those of fully electric cars.

There are several reasons why the Spanish opt for LPG or CNG instead of betting on a zero-emission car. First and foremost, is the price. Gas vehicles are very affordable as it is a technology adopted by both general brands and premium firms. Adapting a gasoline internal combustion engine to the use of these alternative fuels is very simple and its cost is small.

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For sales of electric cars to exceed those of gas vehicles, several facts must occur. The first of these is the price of these vehicles and the improvement of their performance (autonomy) and, second, the improvement of the infrastructure that allows their daily use without problems. Basically, the improvement and increase of the network of charging points spread throughout the Spanish territory.