The environmental badge that some cars display aims to positively discriminate against vehicles that are more respectful of the environment. In some cities, this environmental badge is already being used to restrict traffic on days of high pollution, prohibiting the circulation of vehicles that do not have it.
Currently, there are four types of badges, which are issued by the General Directorate of Traffic. In the Canary Islands, 27.60% of the car fleet does not have any, according to Faconauto, the automotive dealers' association.
The most efficient vehicles have the ZERO badge, these are electric and plug-in hybrid cars and represent only 0.81% of the Canary Islands fleet.
Secondly, there is the ECO label for hybrid vehicles. Only 2.34% of vehicles in the Canary Islands have it. This badge includes battery electric vehicles (BEV), extended range electric vehicles (REEV), as well as plug-in hybrids (PHEV) with a range of 40 km or fuel cell vehicles.
Thirdly, the B or yellow label is for gasoline cars registered from January 2000 and from January 2006 for diesel cars. 22.12% of Canary Island cars have it.
Finally, the C or green label is received by gasoline cars registered from January 2006 and diesel cars from 2014. It is the one worn by 47.13% of the total Canary Island cars.
The average age of Canary Island cars is 15 years
Faconauto has also analyzed the evolution of the average age of the Canary Islands car fleet, which throughout last year stood at 15 years old. The national average is 13.9 years.
The dealers' association attributes this phenomenon to the weakness of the market and the consequent crisis of registrations, dragged on since the pandemic by stock problems.
For the dealers' association, the entire value chain of the automotive sector, as well as Public Administrations and political agents, must collaborate and have electrification and sustainable mobility as an essential axis.
According to the communication director of Faconauto, Raúl Morales, "in 2024 there has to be an inflection point in the registrations of electrified vehicles, which necessarily involves introducing improvements in the Moves Plan and changes in taxation."
"We believe it is essential that the central government helps the autonomous communities in the homogenization of their management of the plan, that a formula is sought so that the buyer obtains the vehicle discount at the same time as the acquisition, that the aid limit is extended to 65,000 euros and that its continuity is ensured by providing it with a budget of 600 million euros per year," he adds.
Likewise, the association sets as a desirable objective 190,000 electrified vehicles in the next year 2024, with a 19% market share. "For our country to approach the decarbonization objectives established by the PNIEC, the market share of electrified cars and SUVs would have to increase by seven points per year from now until 2030, when they would account for 60% of the market and 600,000 registrations," Morales emphasizes.