Charging electric vehicles on the public network can be twice as expensive as at home, according to a study by the Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics, which points the finger at the “reduced competition” in this market.

“The public grid price for electric vehicles is similar to the price of refuelling a diesel car, but it would be considerably cheaper if the user just charged it at home,” says the study carried out in October, based on prices from March 2024.

According to the study “Electric Mobility in Portugal: Where are we and where are we going?”, carried out in October 2024, by the Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics, “this high price on the public network could also be exacerbated by the reduced competition in the electricity market charging infrastructure, in which 57% of charging stations are owned by the three largest operators”.

In addition to the cost, “the insufficient charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in Portugal, especially fast and, above all, ultra-fast chargers” – 101 Portuguese municipalities still do not have fast public stations and 231 municipalities do not have ultra-fast public chargers – is another of the gaps mentioned in the study that shows that “Portugal will not be able to achieve the goals proposed in the Roadmap for Carbon Neutrality 2050 (RNC2050)”.

“Even in the presence of unrealistic scenarios, such as if the sale of traditional vehicles were prohibited, or if the market share of electric vehicles in Portugal grew at the rate of the share of Norway, a leader in EV adoption, the targets would not be achieved”.

Additionally, the document also states that “it is possible to identify gaps in public policies” in electric mobility.

Lack of support

Recognising that “Portugal already has incentives for the acquisition of electric vehicles, such as subsidies and deductions or tax exemptions”, there is a lack of “support for the installation and maintenance of charging infrastructures on the public network, as offered in other countries with high rates of electric vehicle adoption”.

“The only infrastructure support measure is aimed at chargers located in condominiums, and has restrictions on the number of chargers that can receive support per condominium”, he explains, arguing that, according to the literature review carried out, “the most effective and consistent are incentives for infrastructure”.

“In turn, support for acquisition presents great variability in results, not proving to be as strong and efficient. Therefore, there must be a change in the focus of public policies, towards encouraging infrastructure”, he proposes.

It also considers that other support, such as free tolls and access to priority roads for electric vehicle users, can be useful and profitable in Portugal.

Quoted in the statement, Joana Silva, professor at Católica Lisbon, highlights that “Portugal's progress in the electric vehicle sector is remarkable and there are already around 130 thousand 100% electric vehicles. But Portugal will not reach carbon neutrality targets until 2035 and 2050, even if all new vehicles sold from today are electric.”

The goal is that, by 2050, 100% of the fleet will be EV, with an intermediate target of 36% in 2035.

The study “Electric Mobility in Portugal: Where are we and where are we going?” was financed by Grupo Brisa.