Running low on battery while driving across Spain is still a genuine fear for many electric car owners. Outside the biggest cities, there are still stretches of road where drivers can travel for kilometres without finding a rapid charger that actually works.

Now the Spanish government is trying to fix that problem with a €100 million investment aimed at installing 337 new fast charging points across the country. The plan specifically targets the areas drivers complain about most: the so called ‘shadow stretches’ where charging infrastructure is weak, unreliable or simply non existent.

The project, backed through the IDAE energy agency under the Moves charging corridor programme, is designed to make long distance electric travel in Spain feel far less stressful. Most of the new chargers will offer 150 kW rapid charging, allowing drivers to recharge much faster during motorway journeys.

For Spain, the issue has become urgent. Electric car sales continue growing, but many drivers still hesitate to switch because they are not convinced the charging network is reliable enough once they leave major urban areas.

Spain has more chargers than before but many still do not work

On paper, Spain’s charging network has expanded quickly.

According to AEDIVE, the country had almost 55,000 operational charging points by May 2026. That sounds impressive at first glance. But drivers often point out that the real problem is not only how many chargers exist. It is whether they are working when people actually need them.

Industry figures from ANFAC suggest more than 16,000 charging points installed across Spain were still not operational at the end of 2025.

Some have not yet been connected to the electricity grid. Others are out of service, damaged or stuck in administrative delays.

That leaves many electric motorists relying heavily on a relatively small number of dependable charging stations, especially on longer journeys and holiday travel can become particularly stressful.

Drivers heading across Spain during busy periods often find themselves checking apps constantly, calculating battery percentages and hoping the next charger on the route is available and functioning properly.

For people considering buying their first electric car, stories like that continue putting many off. The fear is rarely about driving around Madrid, Barcelona or Valencia.

It is the idea of getting stuck somewhere between cities with very limited charging options. That is exactly what the government is now trying to address.

Where the new rapid charging hubs will appear

Several major charging operators are receiving funding through the programme. Wenea secured the largest allocation, receiving almost €14.8 million for 25 projects around Spain. Zunder will receive roughly €13 million to develop 54 charging installations.

Some locations will reinforce charging points that already exist but need greater capacity. Others will create entirely new charging hubs in areas where drivers currently have very few options.

Among the locations mentioned are Villafranca del Penedès in Barcelona province, Almansa in Albacete and Verín in Galicia.

The Iberdrola BP Pulse partnership also received more than €12 million to develop 41 charging hubs in places including Málaga, León, Jaén, Cáceres, Toledo and Badajoz. A number of projects focus directly on routes that electric drivers have long viewed as problematic.

Some hubs will appear near motorway service areas, hotels and major road connections where rapid charging access is especially important during long journeys. One of the biggest funded projects announced so far is a charging hub in Villena.

Other significant developments include stations planned in Malpartida de Plasencia and Argamasilla de Alba.

The idea is not only to increase charger numbers but to create a network drivers can realistically depend on while travelling across the country.

Spain wants more people buying electric cars but confidence remains a problem

The government knows charging infrastructure remains one of the biggest obstacles slowing electric vehicle adoption in Spain.

Price still matters, of course. Electric cars remain expensive for many households even with subsidies. But confidence is equally important.

A lot of drivers simply want reassurance that they will not spend hours searching for a charger during a family trip or holiday drive.

That concern becomes even stronger in rural areas or on routes where charging stations remain scarce.

Spain has been under pressure to accelerate the transition towards electric mobility, particularly as other European countries continue moving faster in EV adoption. But infrastructure gaps have repeatedly frustrated both drivers and manufacturers.

The challenge is not only about building more chargers. It is also about making sure they are fast, operational and properly distributed around the country.

Drivers complain that too many chargers are concentrated in larger cities while major routes still contain long areas with limited rapid charging access. That imbalance has fuelled the reputation of Spain’s ‘shadow stretches’.

The new programme is supposed to reduce those gaps and make cross country travel feel more practical for EV owners.

And for drivers who already own electric cars, the difference between a working rapid charger and a broken one can completely change a journey.

The race to make electric driving feel normal

Spain is clearly trying to reach the point where electric driving feels routine rather than carefully planned.

Right now, many EV owners still organise trips around chargers instead of simply driving normally and stopping when convenient. That is something governments across Europe are trying to change as they push for lower emissions and greater electric vehicle adoption.

The expansion of rapid charging hubs is a big part of that effort. Fast chargers with 150 kW capacity can dramatically reduce waiting times compared with older systems, making longer trips far more manageable.

For Spain, improving infrastructure may end up being just as important as offering purchase subsidies if the country truly wants more drivers to switch to electric cars. Because for many motorists, the question is no longer whether electric vehicles are the future.

It is whether they trust the charging network enough to rely on one today.

Those on the lookout for a weekend on the dance floor can find perfect excuses to spend time partying and dancing thanks to two gigs organised at La Cochera this weekend. Everyone looks forward to these occasions because they combine the best in live rock music with friendly atmospheres that encourage partying until late.

Turkish Gang opens proceedings on Friday

Local favourites Turkish Gang are bringing their trademark energy to the venue from 11.30pm on Friday, May 15. These guys specialise in turning familiar rock, reggae and funk songs into irresistible foot-tappers that keep crowds moving until late into the night. Quality musicianship combined with fun stage presence will guarantee every set delivers memorable moments for revellers of all ages.

Previous performances by Turkish Gang have always left audiences wanting more with their rocking approach to cover versions.

Not Yet keeps the dance floor energy on Saturday

Not Yet appears at midnight on Saturday, May sixteen to continue the party atmosphere. This cover band focuses on English rock and pop tracks ranging from 1950s classics right up to recent favourites. Crowds can look forward to a non-stop mix of timeless hits and contemporary numbers designed specifically to fill the dance floor from start to finish. Everyone receives opportunities to sing along and move to rhythms that cover decades of popular music history.

Live music bringing the community together in La Herradura

Such live performances create excellent chances for everyone to gather in one place and enjoy shared entertainment. Gig-goers often discover new favourites among the song selections while making connections with fellow music enthusiasts.

La Cochera is on Paseo Andrés Segovia 45 in La Herradura. Just follow your ears.

Thousands of households affected by the massive power outage that hit Spain and the Iberian Peninsula on April 28, 2025 may be entitled to compensation on their electricity bills, but many customers say they still have not seen any discount applied months later.

Consumer association FACUA has now launched a campaign encouraging affected users to formally claim the money they believe electricity distributors should already have credited automatically.

The organisation argues that Spanish regulations require compensation when power cuts exceed certain service quality limits and says some consumers could also claim additional compensation if companies fail to respond within the legal deadline.

For many households that spent hours without electricity during the blackout, the issue is now turning into a battle over who should pay for the disruption and whether electricity companies are complying with their obligations.

Who can claim compensation after the Spain blackout

According to FACUA, the campaign is aimed at electricity customers who lost supply during the major blackout and have not received any reduction on their bill linked to the interruption.

The claims are directed at electricity distributors rather than energy suppliers. In Spain, the distributor is the company responsible for maintaining and operating the electricity network in each area.

FACUA says the compensation system is already covered under Spanish legislation.

The association points to Royal Decree 1955/2000, which establishes that distributors must apply discounts when electricity supply continuity standards are not met.

The regulation also makes clear that distributors remain responsible for quality indicators linked to their networks, even if they later try to recover costs from other operators involved in the incident.

FACUA argues that many customers should not have needed to request the discounts manually because the reductions were supposed to appear automatically once service thresholds were exceeded.

The organisation has already filed complaints with Spain’s National Commission on Markets and Competition against several distributors including i-DE Iberdrola, UFD Naturgy, e-Distribución, Viesgo Distribución and E-redes.

How much money households could receive

The compensation amount is not fixed and depends on several factors including the contracted electricity capacity, the length of the outage, the type of area where the property is located and the customer’s tariff conditions.

FACUA explains that the calculation uses the contracted kilowatt capacity multiplied by five times the average annual electricity price per kilowatt hour consumed.

That figure is then adjusted according to the number of hours without electricity, although the formula deducts a certain number of hours depending on whether the property is located in an urban, semi urban or rural area.

The association provided an example using a household with 4.4 kilowatts contracted, 12 hours without power and an average electricity price of €0.1491 per kilowatt hour.

According to FACUA’s calculation, that household would be entitled to around €22.96 before taxes, rising to approximately €25.38 once taxes are included.

For some customers the final amount could be higher or lower depending on their individual situation and the duration of the outage in their area.

While the compensation itself may not seem huge for every household, FACUA argues the principle matters because service interruptions affected large parts of Spain and disrupted daily life for millions of people.

Why some households could claim an additional €30

FACUA says there may also be another layer of compensation available in certain cases.

According to the organisation, if the distributor fails to answer the customer’s complaint within five working days, users with contracts below 15 kilowatts may be entitled to additional compensation.

The amount established under the regulation is €30.050605 or 10 per cent of the first full electricity bill, depending on which figure applies.

That possibility has drawn fresh attention because many customers claim they still have not received clear explanations from electricity companies regarding the blackout and possible compensation.

FACUA has published a template letter that consumers can complete and send directly to their distributor. The document asks the company to confirm whether the outage was officially recorded for supply quality purposes, whether the legal service limits were exceeded and whether compensation will be included on the next bill.

Consumers are also asked to include personal details, identification information, their supply contract reference and the CUPS code linked to the affected property.

The blackout is still raising questions months later

The April 2025 outage became one of the most disruptive electricity incidents affecting Spain in recent years.

Beyond the immediate chaos caused by the loss of power, the blackout has continued generating political, regulatory and consumer pressure as questions remain over responsibility, infrastructure resilience and compensation. For affected households, however, the issue has now become much more practical.

Many simply want to know whether they are legally owed money and how to claim it. And with FACUA now publicly encouraging consumers to take action, electricity distributors could soon face a wave of new complaints from customers checking their bills more closely than before.