Lorraine Williamson
Calpe, a coastal town in Alicante, has made an abrupt U-turn on sustainable transport. After one of its municipal electric cars caught fire outside the town hall, the local council announced it would abandon electric vehicles altogether.
The decision breaks with national and European trends, where billions are being invested to accelerate the switch to clean mobility.
Flames outside town hall
The fire erupted on Avenida de Ifach, right beside the council building, when a municipal EV connected to a charger suddenly began emitting smoke. Within minutes, flames engulfed the car. Firefighters arrived swiftly and managed to extinguish the blaze. However, images of the incident had already gone viral on social media.
Although the cause remains under investigation, Mayor Ana Sala said the council would not renew its fleet of five electric cars. Instead, replacements will be petrol, diesel, or hydrogen — whichever option technical experts recommend. “I don’t understand these things. I’ll leave it to the experts,” she told local media.
A sharp turn away from green mobility
Calpe’s move stands out in Spain, where electric transport is at the centre of government policy. Madrid and Brussels are pouring money into charging networks, low-emission zones and subsidies to encourage adoption. For a tourist resort that markets itself on its natural beauty, the rejection of EVs is a striking departure from the green image many coastal towns are cultivating.
Safety concerns nationwide
The decision also taps into growing unease about EV battery fires. Earlier this year, two firefighters died tackling a blaze in an Alcorcón car park near Madrid, where a hybrid vehicle was believed to have ignited. In response, several car parks in the capital temporarily banned electric vehicles.
International studies, however, paint a different picture. Research from Scandinavia and the United States suggests electric cars are no more likely to catch fire than petrol or diesel models. Spain’s consumer group OCU has also highlighted that combustion engines still account for the majority of vehicle fires.
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Why battery fires stand out
Experts note that while EV fires are rare, they are more complex to manage once they occur. Xavier Giménez, professor of Environmental Chemistry at the University of Barcelona, explains that the electrolyte in lithium batteries can reignite even after flames appear to be extinguished. “Once ignited, it affects all components and the fire can flare up again,” he said.
The risk is not limited to roads. Recent shipping disasters — including the Felicity Ace and Fremantle Highway, both carrying electric cars — exposed how difficult such fires are to contain in confined spaces.
What comes next for Calpe
For eight years, Calpe’s council fleet included electric cars. Now, the town has turned away from what many see as the future of mobility. Whether its stance remains an isolated case or prompts other municipalities to reconsider their EV commitments is uncertain.
What is clear is that Calpe’s decision has reignited the national debate over the safety of electric vehicles — and challenged Spain’s wider ambition to lead the European race towards sustainable transport.
Sources: La Vanguardia