Starting from the premise that autonomous and connected cars in the future «will all be electric», Aitor Fernández Martín reviews the benefits of adopting these formats.

Firstly, the connection between connectivity and the management of charging points will make it possible to manage travel routes more efficiently.

Aitor Fernández Martín, President of AEVAC

He also believes that an electric charging network that is «not properly connected» is inconceivable.

This means that having a complete map, a well-defined route and a driving system that adapts to traffic conditions, which is also used in an optimised way, can generate really high energy savings.

«Only the autonomous driving systems alone can save up to 43% of energy consumption,» he says.

In addition, Fernández Martín highlights the fact that Spain has great peculiarities for the generation of renewables and a clear objective of achieving greater energy efficiency.

«It is also very interesting the commitment that is being made to the electric vehicle and if you take that hand in hand with the autonomous, then yes you can get significant reductions in total energy consumption,» he points out.

Another of the factors that will consolidate the commitment to this type of car is the management of the data that can be obtained.

In the near future, all of this data will be monetisable and will enable sectors such as logistics and industry to benefit quickly.

This being so, these will be the areas that will be boosted the most by the autonomy and electrification of their transport systems.

In this way, Fernández Martín emphasises the fact that «the functionalities of the autonomous vehicle will drive the penetration of electrification in the European market».

Need for local development

The association notes that it is time for Spain to be able to facilitate the conditions to innovate and put forward new proposals that in the long term will bring us closer to the goal of obtaining our own technologies.

For this reason, its president says: «We need to promote an ecosystem that is as open as possible, so that tests can be carried out with maximum security measures».

In this way, they want simple regulations to be established that are in line with international standards «so that things can be done at the local level».

The administration has a key role to play, as it is in charge at this point of allowing actors to have the opportunity to develop Spanish intellectual property at the level of electric and autonomous cars.

«Now the point is to decide what role you want to adopt: that of being a developer and benefiting from everything that will come with it, or simply buying back something that was designed abroad,» says Aitor Fernández Martín.