Applications for Moves 1 and 2 have already been settled in Asturias, while those for Move 3 are nearing completion.
The third edition of Moveo, an event organized by the Association of Electric Vehicle Users (AUVE), recently took place at the Oviedo Exhibition and Congress Palace. This year's event, themed 'Designing the future: green, digital, and accessible', brought together more than 150 professionals to discuss and promote all aspects of the sustainability ecosystem.
The deployment of fast and ultra-fast charging point infrastructure was a key topic of discussion. It is crucial to ensure users can make longer journeys without limitations, as the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) increases.
In the Moves I and II programs, more than two and a half million euros were managed, and all requests were resolved, although not all were paid. However, there is currently no information available about the current status of the allocation of funding within the Moves III Plan in Asturias.
Nieves Roqueñí, Minister of Ecological Transition, Industry, and Economic Development of the Government of Asturias, is managing the Moves III Plan in the community. The third edition of the Moves III program received around eight million euros in its first call, and subsequent releases of funds have brought the total to 28.6 million euros to promote electric mobility and the deployment of charging infrastructure. As of now, there are approximately seven million euros that would already be finalised in Moves III.
The great challenge facing administrations is to resolve requests in the shortest time possible due to bureaucracy and European funds involvement. Promoting sustainable mobility requires a collective effort involving administrations, manufacturers, vendors, and citizens. The lack of unified payment systems in Spain leads to many users having to deal with multiple apps, making the provisioning process difficult.
Roqueñí acknowledges the need to provide incentives to stimulate demand for electric vehicles. One proposed solution is to unify payment systems in Spain, using Portugal as an example. Portugal's charging network model is characterized by interoperability, allowing drivers to make journeys with a single card.
Spain currently has more than 34,000 charging points, but each station operates with a different payment application. This lack of standardization complicates the user experience. The advisor proposes simplifying this by unifying payment systems, which would make charging EVs more accessible and convenient for all users.
Roqueñí also highlights the role of Moveo and AUVE in promoting awareness of sustainable mobility alternatives beyond traditional combustion cars. The councillor emphasized the need for collective action to address the national challenge of creating regulations and promoting standardization with regard to applications and, in particular, payment platforms.
With the extension of the Moves III Plan until December 2024 and an injection of 200 million euros, the future of sustainable mobility in Asturias looks promising. The third edition of Moveo served as a platform for discussion and collaboration, bringing together professionals and stakeholders to design a greener, digital, and more accessible future for mobility in Asturias and beyond.
