How electric cars are changing travel culture in Portugal and Europe

According to data published by the European Environment Agency at the end of 2024, approximately ¼ of all vehicles circulating in Europe are already powered by electric energy. Moreover, the number has been growing steadily each year, ensuring that, in the future, these cars will be the majority.

This means that travel is also changing: tourists and residents are adopting new commuting habits, planning routes around charging stations, taking advantage of financial incentives, and even opting for electric rental vehicles to explore historic cities and rural areas.

Infrastructure, in turn, is accompanying this transformation, creating new opportunities for sustainable tourism and shaping the way people live and travel in Portugal and throughout Europe.

Naturally, such a shift in the way Europeans drive also impacts travel culture and city infrastructure. And what are these impacts, ultimately? In the text's topics, we will delve deeper into this topic, exploring what has been changing over time.

To this end, we will consider information about batteries on the AUTODOC portal in order to, among other things, identify the differences between fossil-fueled and electric-powered cars. The truth, above all, is that the changes are numerous and affect everyone!

Emergence of tax incentives for vehicle purchases

As one of the countries leading advances in electric vehicles in Europe, it is no surprise to discover that Portugal offers subsidies of up to €4,000 to individuals who decide to trade in their old cars for electric vehicles. Legal entities have an even greater incentive, which can go up to R$5,000.

And Portugal is not the only country to financially encourage its citizens to adopt electric cars as their primary means of personal transportation, with similar measures being seen throughout Europe. For those facing economic constraints, this is a solution that has made a difference.

Greater investment in charging stations

To illustrate with concrete examples, it is important to mention that, according to AUTODOC, BMW, Renault, and Volkswagen are among the brands with the best electric car models on the market; Not only because of the prices, but also because of the cost-benefit ratio, which is essential when considering the lower frequency of charging stations.

Fortunately, the situation has been changing, with Portugal, in particular, seeing the expansion of charging stations, especially in rural areas. The country has invested in creating a broad and efficient network, going beyond subsidies and increasingly facilitating fast charging in various locations.

Growth of Charging Stations on Tourist Routes (2015–2025)

Over the past ten years, the number of electric vehicle charging stations has grown steadily and rapidly. In 2015, there were just over 500 units installed. This total surpassed the 1,000 mark in 2018 and has continued to increase steadily. In 2020, nearly 2,000 stations were already available, a number that reached approximately 3,000 in 2021.

The most significant expansion occurred from then on: between 2021 and 2023, as noted by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and the Mobility Portal (2024), the number of stations increased from approximately 3,000 to over 4,500. The growth continued, and by 2025, the total will approach 6,000 units.

This movement demonstrates a clear trend of accelerating charging infrastructure, in line with the increased adoption of electric vehicles and the strengthening of sustainable mobility. It is also important to highlight that, in February 2025, 5,976 stations (11,083 charging points) were registered across the public network in Portugal.

Less Concern Among Young People About Buying Private Vehicles

It's undeniable that environmental concerns are more prevalent among younger generations than among older generations. This includes abandoning private vehicles in favor of public transportation or, bringing us to the central theme of this text, 100% electric or hybrid vehicles.

Instead of traveling in fossil-fueled cars, young people prefer to buy (or, better yet, rent!) cars that run on electricity. This attitude reduces polluting gases in the atmosphere, something of utmost importance for those learning about this topic.

Advancement of Green Solutions for Charging Electric Cars

Following the previous topic, it's worth dedicating a separate section to the advancement of technologies that support and/or facilitate the charging of electric cars. Even electric features in fossil-fuel vehicles also contribute to this paradigm shift.

It is estimated that around 19% of vehicles circulating in Portugal are already electric, with this number expected to grow even further in the future. With new green technologies, prices are expected to drop even further, allowing drivers to avoid additional costs for environmental protection.

Decrease in Prices of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles

Continuing the thread between what was briefly mentioned in the previous and the following points, we come to the issue of prices. All new technology is expensive, and this is no exception for electric vehicles. Fortunately, competition between brands has brought these prices down.

While Portuguese consumers were previously "hostages" to a single brand, they now have a wide range of options. This is even more evident on the European continent than in the rest of the world, considering that most major electric vehicle brands originate in Europe.

Considering everything we've mentioned so far, we can conclude that cultural changes in Europe regarding travel, infrastructure, and mobility are far from "stagnant." This means that everything explored in this text is just the tip of the iceberg, deserving of further analysis in the future.