At Electromaps, we have analysed the recharges made through our app and the Electropass RFID card and key fob during the months of June, July and August 2023 in Spain, France and Italy. The data from this study reflects charging patterns, while providing valuable insights into user behaviour and charging preferences in each country.
Spain, the country with the lowest amount spent per charge
The average charge in Spain was €7.05, less than half the average charge in Italy over the same period. This may be an indication of the lack of fast charging infrastructure on Spain's main roads.
Of the three months analysed, 30.5% of the kWh supplied was in June, 34.1% in July and 35.3% in August, the preferred holiday month for Spaniards.
July saw a record number of foreign tourists visiting Spain, exceeding 10 million people in a single month for the first time. Despite of that, the month with the most kWh supplied was August, with 35.3% of the total for the three months. In fact, charging was fairly evenly distributed, with 30.5% in June and 34.1% in August.
French and Dutch, the most visited EV users in Spain
In June, July and August this year, the electric vehicle users who recharged the most with Electromaps in Spain were mainly Spanish (88.2%), followed by French (2.9%), Dutch (2.8%), Germans, Portuguese and Belgians (0.8% each). Although the British are the most popular foreign tourists in Spain (along with the French and Germans), they only accounted for 0.7% of the kWh recharged with Electromaps between June and August.
Car parks lots, preferred locations for public charging in Spain
Public or semi-public car parks were the places that supplied the most kWh to electric car users in Spain (51.2%). It is surprising that the workplace accounts for 22.8% of the energy supplied for recharging, given that 70% of Electromaps users say they cannot charge their electric vehicle at work.
Hotels and campsites supplied 11.4% of the kWh, despite a recent study showing that 94.3% of EV drivers in Spain always or almost always check if the place where they are staying has a charging point.
Petrol stations, shopping centres and restaurants accounted for 9.2%, 4.2% and 0.8% of charging between June and August respectively.
The towns that supplied the most kWh were Madrid, Paterna (Valencia), Casabermeja (Málaga), Mérida (Badajoz) and Olot (Girona).
France: a world tourist destination, and for EV users?
France, the world's leading nation in terms of international tourism, expects between 78 and 80 million visitors this year, well above the 75 million expected in 2022, but still far from the pre-pandemic figures of 90 million. According to Olivia Grégoire, the French Minister for Tourism, almost 70% of French people went on holiday this year, and 88% of them stayed in France. In addition, Germans, Brits and Belgians are the main visitors to the country.
Spaniards, Dutch and Germans: foreigners who most charged in France
As far as electric vehicle users are concerned, the data on charging through Electromaps shows that the French are the ones who charged the most in their own country (76.5%), which, according to the Minister, is in line with the holiday movements of their population. The foreigners who charged most were the Spanish (9.8%), the Dutch (3.9%), the Belgians (2.5%), the Germans (1.1%) and the British (1.1%).
In June, there were fewer rcharges in France (26.2%), with July (35.4%) and August (38.3%) being the months when EV users moved around the country the most.
Average charging spent in France, by locations and cities
These EV users spent an average of € 9.71 on their charges in June, July and August.
The data shows that EV users in France prefer to charge in public car park lots (57.3% of the energy provided by charging via Electromaps in France). This is followed by hotels and campsites (21.8%); in fact, in a recent survey, 85.3% of EV users in France admitted that they always or almost always check whether their accommodation has a charging point. 17.7% of the kilowatts supplied by Electromaps in France during these three months were at users' workplaces. Charging in restaurants accounted for 1.4% of the total.
The French locations that supplied the most kWh to electric vehicles were Sarrola-Carcopino and Ajaccio, in Corse-du-Sud, Toulouse, Paris and Arras (Pas-de-Calais).
Electric vehicle charging trends in Italy
According to data published on 1st September by the Osservatorio territoriale flussi turistici nazionali e internazionali, the most frequent foreign tourists to Italy come from Germany, Switzerland, the United States, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
Foreigners who charged the most in Italy came from the Netherlands, Spain, and France
Electromaps data shows that the foreign EV drivers who charged most in Italy between June and August were from the Netherlands (5.4%), Spain (4.5%), France (3.7%), Germany (2.5%) and Denmark (2.3%). As in France and Spain, the majority of EV charges via Electromaps were made by domestic users, but to a lesser extent (65.5%).
Of the three months analysed, the highest turnover was recorded in July (43%), followed by August (31.3%) and June (25.7%).
Hotels and campsites, Italy's favorite summer charge spots
Between June and August, most of the energy supplied for charging electric vehicles in Italy came from hotels or campsites, accounting for 72.6% of the total kWh supplied. These data are in line with the interest shown by Italian Electromaps users in being able to charge at places of accommodation: 83.8% said they always or almost always checked whether their accommodation had charging points. Chargers in car parks managed 13.7% of the energy, petrol stations 6.6%, restaurants 5.4% and shopping centres 1.8%.
The average cost per charge via the Electromaps app in Italy was €15.98, significantly higher than in Spain and France.
The locations that supplied the most energy to electric vehicles were Rome, Florence, Turin, Milan and Castellammare del Golfo in Sicily.
