Making the switch to sustainable mobility is good for the environment, but also good for your wallet. As for the main issues to consider, not only are comfort, saving money on maintenance and taxes or parking facilities. But also the difference it makes circulate in the main Spanish cities. Because no, it is not the same to travel with your electric car in the city than with a gasoline one,
Anti-pollution protocols in cities
More and more drivers are considering buying new generation vehicles. But doing it between an electric one or a conventional one also suppose notable differences when it comes to its use in the city. In some such as Madrid or Barcelona, the sale of this type of ecological vehicles has skyrocketed by the traffic restrictions promoted by municipalities.
What they have favored with numerous measures the use of these cars, such as Madrid. There, around with Central MadridRestrictions have been applied despite the existence of an anti-pollution protocol. Therefore, the market for this type of car has not developed. Despite this, there are some other councils that have enabled new spaces when it comes to circulating … although with specifications.
Thus, at present, emission levels in cities are worrying and the high pollution it becomes a problem for the quality of the air and the health of the inhabitants. This is the reason why many municipalities are developing Anti-Pollution Protocols that come into action when measurements exceed maximums.
Zones enabled for electricity in the city
Today any citizen can move by car without being its owner. This is thanks to the great offer of varied mobility services, and all within reach of the mobile. And is that the Urban mobility is moving towards a new service model, where technology will offer a multitude of options to move around in smart cities that will manage vehicles and spaces efficiently.
One of the main measures that make up these Protocols is the one that directly affects the Road Traffic, limiting their access to city centers and reducing speed limits in certain areas. But what are these areas about? Who are they suitable for?
Denominated as low emission zones (ZBE) are areas, located mostly in the center of the city, in which to favor electricity, access to the most polluting vehicles is prohibited to improve air quality. For this, the labeling system of the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) is taken into account: gasoline cars registered before 2000 and diesel cars before 2006 do not have a label.
Label B corresponds to gasoline cars from 2000 to 2006 and diesel from 2006 to 2013. Label C, for gasoline after 2006 and diesel after 2014. Eco: hybrids in general. Zero: electric or hybrid with a range of more than 40 kilometers. However, Spain only has two of these areas that allow electricians in the city.
- Central Madrid. The area that Madrid Central encompasses is relatively small if we compare it with other large European capitals. The area occupies about 4.7 square kilometers (that of London extends over 1,500 square kilometers) and includes the neighborhoods of Palacio, Embajadores, Cortes, Justicia, Universidad and Sol, almost completely occupying the downtown district of the city. In the Spanish capital, only vehicles with a zero emission label can access for an unlimited time, vehicles with an ECO sticker for two hours or other means of transport with the B or C insignia as long as they go to a parking lot for public use.
- ZBE Barcelona. Its LEZ is larger than that of Central Madrid, although mobility restrictions are more lax than those of Madrid. The city of Barcelona has a perimeter of more than 95 square kilometers, which broadly encompasses the interior of the two rounds and some neighboring municipalities with the big city, and whose prohibitions are in force from Monday to Friday from 7 to 22 hours. In the case of Barcelona, badges B and C can circulate without problem. For the moment, the bans are limited to cars, motorcycles and mopeds without a badge, vans (N1), trucks (N2 and N3) and buses and coaches (M2 and M3).
Also noteworthy are the actions that many cities such as Gijón, Oviedo, Valladolid, Murcia, Cartagena … carry out on the worst days of pollution. At these points time restrictions are activated to circulation to mitigate the effects of high levels of air pollution.
As of 2023, with the entry into force of the Climate Change Law, all cities in more than 50,000 inhabitants (about 145) should have these emission-free areas.
What cars can access
Adapting to all these measures of each city, it has been, for their part, the electric manufacturers themselves who have put models on the market adapted to urban use, of reduced sizes and consumption. And, the brands have been dedicated to the development of the connected, autonomous and electrified vehicle for more than a decade to give new mobility alternatives to the user.
Vehicles that still need to improve performance and prices to be competitive, but that benefit from subsidies for their purchase: the latest, an extension of an additional 20 million euros for MOVES II funds, approved by the Ministry of Ecological Transition in early March.
Likewise, and hand in hand with the aforementioned areas enabled for electrics that are seen in different parts of the city, each car must carry a environmental distinctive sign. These are a catalog that classifies vehicles based on their polluting emissions. They have been in operation for more than four years, and although to decide the bases of their operation, Traffic held meetings with the main players in the sector, many voices complain that, in some cases, the classification does not correspond to actual emissions.
Still, until this can be clarified one day, vehicles with the lowest casualties may access according to what points, including some hybrids and plug-in hybrids.
Zero Emissions
As we mentioned, for electric cars there are no restrictions of any kind for vehicles classified as Zero Emissions in one city or another. That is, the pure electric and plug-in hybrids, which must specify more than 40 km of autonomy in electric mode.
The Zero label of the DGT is the last badge granted by the General Directorate of Traffic. It is full blue in color. In the case of electric and fuel cell cars, the year of their registration is irrelevant, since they all receive the Zero label from the DGT regardless of their age. Nor does autonomy influence: all 100% cars are likely to have the Zero label.
ECO cars and with label B
The ordinance establishes that vehicle emissions technology will be taken into account to set the hours and conditions of use of public space. These are usually, in most cases, hybrid vehicles that are non-plug-in or plug-in with less than 40 km of electric autonomy.
This group also includes those cars that can run on gas (either natural, natural compressed CNG or liquefied petroleum LPG). These cars that use the ECO label of the DGT suppose, in addition, a series of advantages at an administrative level that, of course, depend on the different municipalities and regions in which we have the car in question registered.
- Reduction in the amount of the tax circulation (ITVM)
- Lower cost of parking services regulated public
- Access to BUS-VAO lanes in episodes of high traffic occupancy
- Access to low emission zones with restricted circulation
- Immunity when driving in high pollution episodes
There is also the case of those that carry the B label. These are usually those passenger cars and light vans of gasoline registered since January 2001 and diesel as of 2006. Also vehicles with more than 8 seats and heavy vehicles, both diesel and gasoline, registered as of 2005.