Research and Transfer
As part of a research project, the current state of electromobility in the tourism sector is to be examined on the Spanish holiday island of Mallorca and future perspectives explored. Electromobility in Mallorca is expected to undergo a dynamic evolution. Due to the excessive number of hours of sunshine, the island has considerable potential with respect to regenerative, climate-friendly energy generation. Therefore, there is a chance to increase the sustainability of electromobility in Mallorca. However, the tourism demand will place high requirements on electromobility in terms of price, infrastructure and range. The price of electric vehicles, the availability of a charging infrastructure and the range of the vehicles are widely considered to be the main obstacles to purchasing an electric vehicle.
The research project examines the special framework conditions in Mallorca, taking into consideration the peculiarities and requirements of tourism. This includes examining in greater detail the car hire business, an important player in tourism mobility. The use of hire cars for tourism on the relatively large island, under the special climatic conditions, will mean increased requirements for the range of electric vehicles. The car hire business will expect electric vehicles to be profitable. At the same time, tourists as users of the vehicles will expect a sufficient, functioning and easy-to-use charging infrastructure as well as comfortable, simple and reasonably priced vehicles. During the project, profitability, climate advantages and the use of electric vehicles for tourism will be investigated in theory and practice.
Key findings of the project
The number of electric vehicles from car hire companies is between approx. 60,000 and 100,000 vehicles during the peak season. Since active marketing rarely takes place, few tourists are aware of the offer, even though interest in electromobility is very high among tourists.
Electric vehicles such as the BMW i3 and the Renault Zoe, with a range of 200 km, are now being used in Mallorca. The charging infrastructure is also well distributed on the island, enabling longer trip routes.
DC quick charge station of local energy provider Endesa
A public charging infrastructure as well as private charging options are vitally important for the use of electric vehicles, so that cars can be charged overnight. So far only one provider, a German company called “Auf nach Mallorca”, has its own charging stations. On the company’s website, the option “e-auto charging station” can be selected. Hotels in Mallorca do not currently offer charging stations and are not interested in this topic. The use of such vehicles is not economical enough for the hire companies because the purchase prices are too high and the residual values are low due to the rapidly advancing technology (higher energy density, more range, lower battery prices). An oversupply of vehicles also makes profitability more difficult.
Electric vehicles are expected to emit less CO 2 than vehicles with a combustion engine. The way that electricity is generated has a major impact on this. Electricity generation in Mallorca is based on fossil fuels. If you consider the electricity consumed, the electricity supplied by an undersea cable from the Spanish mainland, which contains up to 40% renewable energy, must be included. As a result, the electricity in Mallorca is “greener”, and the emissions factor in CO 2/kWh improves significantly.
Conclusion
Currently, the supply of e-cars in Mallorca is still low, but the level of interest from tourists is high. The supply is expected to increase in the coming years. In addition, car manufacturers will be introducing numerous electric vehicles on the market in the next three years. This will increase the manufacturers’ interest in marketing the vehicles, especially through car hire companies. In this respect, the residual value problem will be solved automatically, and car hire companies will increasingly use electric vehicles under profitable conditions.
For tourists who are familiar with handling electric vehicles, pure electric driving is already possible on the island without any considerable problems and is a great pleasure. If the recommended actions for the stakeholders of electric mobility are observed and implemented, use should also be problem-free and comfortable for those tourists who are driving an electric vehicle for the first time.
The expansion of the regenerative energy supply is a long-term challenge. However, there is no way around it now because Mallorca wants to become more sustainable and in particular make tourism more sustainable.
An online survey is currently being conducted about the use of electric hire cars. The objective of it is to examine customer satisfaction of the whole system of electromobility for the stakeholders. It is not just satisfaction but enthusiasm that makes a success story.
Please contact Prof. Dr. Thomas M. Cerbe for more information.
