Energy Transitions Podcast: Can Spain's transport sector keep pace with decarbonisation?

Spain’s decarbonisation journey has long been associated with leadership in renewable energy, but when it comes to its transport sector, the road to decarbonisation has been slower.

Despite generous subsidies and ambitious goals, the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) has lagged behind the European average. So what’s holding Spain back?

In the first episode of a special four-part miniseries of the Energy Transitions Podcast zooming in on Spain’s journey to greener mobility, host Yusuf Latief speaks with Pierpaolo Cazzola and Matteo Craglia, two leading transport and energy policy experts from the University of California, Davis’s European Transport and Energy Research Centre.

Together, they unpack why, despite offering significant subsidies since 2009, EV adoption in Spain still lags behind countries like Portugal.

Ultimately, Pierpaolo and Craglia explain, Spain is making progress in the sector—but more is needed to fully unlock its potential.

Tune in to hear all about:

• The challenges of Spain’s fragmented administrative system
• Power grid readiness
• The role of manufacturing in supporting the EV shift
• Charging infrastructure uptake
• The role of collaboration across sector stakeholders
• Whether alternative technologies can support with transport decarbonisation

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More from the Energy Transitions podcast:
Applying grid resilience lessons from Spain’s blackout
AI, robots and the future of nuclear decommissioning
Navigating stakeholder resistance in US energy projects

More on mobility:
EVs need coordinated actions on infrastructure and grids
Can electric roads be a game changer for e-mobility and the grid?
Battery2Life – unlocking the potential of second-life EV batteries