Month: April 2025

The north of Spain has been complaining about mass tourism for years. Asturias has discovered the bitter consequences of losing it

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The formula of nature, calm and good kitchen that for years promoted Rural tourism In Asturias It seems to lose bellows. AND clearly. Although the photo of recent years is distorted by COVID, the housing of the principality specialized in this type of tourism have seen how His activity descended until they were driving before the pandemic. At least according to INE data. It is not so much a “puncture” in the flow of travelers and in that of the rooms (They last less) and the loss of interest in the national market. The phenomenon is interesting because it coincides with another or even more media: complaints in a large part of the peninsular northern ( Galicia to Cantabria or in your own Asturias) For precisely the opposite, the effects of tourist massification. While in Cantabria they cry for not being “The North Ibiza” And Galicia complains about The “fodechinchos”inside and the Asturian mountain the hoteliers cry out for measures that avoid the slow decline of rural tourism. An icon in low hours. A quick search arrives on Google to verify that rural tourism does not go through its best moment in Asturias. TO The news of the Regional Press about The fall of activity those in the sector claiming are added “Specific aids” and those of the Principality trying to reassure him. In fact, in January Adrián Barbón He promised to “rethink” rural tourism of the region “to recover thrust.” Shortly after its executive announced a Bond program With discounts designed to encourage demand. That the situation of the sector arouses so much interest in the Principality is more than understandable. In the mid -80s, and thanks largely to your campaign “Asturias Paraíso Natural”the community managed to make a place in a sector in which until then the tourism of Sun and beach prevailed. Today Asturias adds hundreds of establishments with thousands of places (in August the INE computed almost 1,400 and 14,800respectively) and stands out for its volume of rural houses per capita. What do the data say? That the sector has known better times. The INE shows that last year the Rural Accommodations of Asturias received some 304,000 travelers who paid for 924,400 overnight stays. The first data is not exactly bad. It is a slight increase of 1.7% compared to 2023 and is online of 2019. The second worries. In a Growth scenario The number of hired nights fell 3.2% year -on -year and remains away from the almost 975,000 overnight stays that the sector managed in 2019. The 2025 start has not been especially good. During the first quarter the volume of travelers and overnight stays fell with respect to last year, although the data should be handled cautiously. First because in 2024 Holy Week, a period of strong tourist demand, fell in March and this year did so in April. Second because There may be variations important from one month to another. In fact the Principality He has checked already for the growth of February. “Very black winter”. The truth is that the sector is far from satisfied. Recently the president of the EO-Porcia association implied in An interview with eldiario.es that the balance has been of everything but good in recent months. “50% of the peoples that are still inhabited today are for rural tourism. Fixed population and allows you I recognized. In its own accommodations, three apartments and a house, it did not register any reserve between the Bridge of the Constitution and last Holy Week. Looking for the causes. The big question is … What are you due to these data from the sector, especially overnight stays? Why if in August 2001 the average stay In rural accommodations, was 6.13 days passed to 4.76 in 2019 and 4.24 last year? For Ana Llanoof the Fuentes del Narcea Association, one of the keys is the change in demand. Tourists are looking for different things today during their vacations. Or rather, it does so at a different rhythm and way. “Before people came to spend the summer, to spend a few days in nature, to enjoy the house themselves. Now people want regrets In eldiario.es. His comment is in tune with the data on the duration of the rooms and another key indicator: the overnight stays fall in the rural one, but grow in the set of Asturias. “They end rural tourism”. To that challenge others are added: the de -stationalization, the need to enrich the offer with packages or the competition of other types of accommodation, such as Tourist housing (VUT) or the “illegal establishments” that (precisely by acting outside the administration) also blur the balance of the sector. There are those who speak of tens only between Vegadeo and Navia and who focuses the focus on the VUT. “They are ending rural tourism,” they said recently From the sector to The voice. Foreign lifeguard. The general photo leaves another interesting nuance. Asturian rural accommodations may be invoiced today less overnight than before pandemic, but that fall is mainly due to domestic demand. The nights hired by Spaniards fall, but those reserved by tourists from outside the country have grown considerably. With that backdrop last autumn the Principality launched A campaign aimed above all to the Asturian themselves. His slogan: “Are you sure you know Asturias?” When tourism does not arrive. The case of Asturias is interesting for something else. Between record tourism data and with the open debate on the effect of the sector on the real estate market, over the last years in much of Spain they have happened The protests against tourist. Especially in points such as the Canary Islands or Balearic Islands, but also in areas of the North, including Galicia or Cantabria, where the saturation of certain points has become a matter of debate. The Asturian rural and interior situation leaves a key question: what happens when tourism stops arriving or comes less? What if the Fodechinchos Do they stop traveling or areas that have developed … Read more

The reason why electricity took more than 15 hours to restore 100% in Spain: the feared “Black Start”

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The Iberian Peninsula went out at 12:33 of April 28. In just five seconds, two southwest disconnections of the peninsula They removed more than half of the instant demand from the network. The frequency collapsed and interconnection with France jumped by instability. Spain stayed at 0 MW and 0 Hz, never seen. Resting the service was the real challenge. 15 hours of surgical work. At 03:30 on Tuesday, Red Eléctrica, the Spanish electrical system operator, announced that 99.95% of the demand was covered again (100% was not reached until the afternoon in the afternoon). Spain starred in greater practical exercise of replacement of a European network From the great continental blackout of 2006, The first on this scale from a country that obtains its energy mainly from renewable sources. The dreaded Black Start. Turn on the light out of nowhere, start the zero power grid. With 50 million users, Spain has faced One of the most challenging cases of “Black Start” They are remembered. He needed 15 hours because he had to go step by step, first starting the most flexible plants: hydroelectric plants, enabled for Black Start with diesel structure to feed pumps, valves and control systems). Mainless Spain redeemed. With 10% of the Spanish mix and 25% of the Portuguese, the pumping hydraulics was the first ammunition: The hydroelectric plants of the Muela and Aldeadávila They synchronized in three minutes, moving from zero to 3 GW. Each central created its 50 Hz “island” (the frequency at which the turbines have to turn) before introducing load. Red Electric was connecting the turbines one by one and introducing load in a dosing way so as not to stop them. Gas for climbing. With the nuclear off (except for the imported of France, which provided 1.4 GW of power in the replacement), the gas plants became the backbone of the network before reincorporating renewables. Monday’s wind was almost calm and the photovoltaic disappeared at nightfall, so the weight fell on water and gas. Morocco injected several hundred MW who were critical to start plants in Andalusia. As for nuclear. The automatic cut of five of the seven reactors generated a radio traffic jam: the xenon-135 accumulated after a sudden stop absorbs neutrons and blocks the reaction for 24-48 h. 32 hours after the blackout, No nuclear had yet been synchronized. That 3-4 GW hole synchronous forced to squeeze hydraulics and gas and delayed total recovery. The fuses jumped. When the blackout occurred, more than 70% of the generation was renewable (37% solar, 32% wind). 3.4 GW of nuclear energy, 1.6 GW of cycles and 1.4 GW of cogeneration provided the synchronous inertia of the network, but were not enough to compensate for the disconnection of two stations. Neither The interconnected network was enough to sustain the frequency (only 3 GW with France and 700 MW with Morocco). The substations acted as giant fuses against imbalance and isolated the network to avoid catastrophic damage. That is why it is said that Spain and Portugal are energy islands, despite being in the same network as the rest of European countries. Some lessons. With high renewable quotas, which They do not have the inertia of other energy sources To stabilize the network, it takes a greater resilience than the European electricity grid. In other words, invest in investors at network level, batteries and renewable synchronous (biomass or more pumping hydraulics). As well as in better interconnections. All this is planned, but it was not on time to avoid the blackout and the Black Start. Image | Electric Red In Xataka | We have just lived the first great blackout of the renewable era. The debate is now how to get the last one

We begin to discover the effect of microplastics on our body thanks to the most unsuspected thing: tap water

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The heat comes and, with it, the thirst comes. On average, according to some public estimates, household consumption grows up to 44%. But those data are incomplete because, a good part of the water we drink, comes in bottle. In Spain they are sold 5,331 million liters of bottled water every year. And it is a market in full growth. Sales grow annually at a rate of 2.5%. What we usually forget is that this type of product has consequences: the pressure pressure rises. As? What does what? One might think that drinking water rises the normal artery pressure. After all, blood pressure is the force exerted by blood against the walls of the arteries. If there is more liquid in the system or more salt, there should be more pressure … But not. Although obviously in extreme cases and, of course, specific conditions and compositions They alter the pressure Within a fork, the system has dozens of mechanisms to ensure that the blood pressure of a normal human being is what has to be. And then? That is what some scientists from the Danube University asked when, in the middle of a very small clinical trial They discovered that the same did not happen with bottled water. The Austrian team discovered that by keeping eight healthy people (of both genres) to a “water regime” of only tap water, His basal diastolic blood pressure dropped. It happened in men and in mujres, but in the latter the effect was much more striking. Because? Right now we only have hypotheses, but the most solid are phthalates (chemical substances that make the most flexible and durable plastic). And, honestly, it is something quite interesting: because, although all the water we consume right now has complex microplastics and substances, the truth is that they do not have the same things. And that is exceptionally good news. Not because with the available information is (or not) advisable to take (or stop drinking) bottled water. But because it is these little things that allow us to improve our understanding of What microplastics do in our bodies. Image | Noppadon Manadee | Engin Akyurt In Xataka | When the tap water knows in rays: the invisible chemistry of drinking water that explains why he knows how he knows (and why he is one of the best inventions in the world)

What does well and what still does not improve in a mid -range that points high

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Renewing the mobile without spending a fortune has become an increasingly demanding task. In the mid -range There is more and more competition, and also more demands. That is why models such as Samsung Galaxy A56 They continue to attract all looks: they promise a good balance between performance, camera and autonomy, without jumping to the high range. But the big question is whether they really meet everything they promise. To check to what extent it meets, Mario Arroyo has been using the Galaxy A56 as its main telephone, with all that that implies. “It’s a phone that you probably have on the radar if you want to change your mobile, so to see if it’s worth it, I’m going to show you how my life has been with him after 30 days of use,” he says at the beginning of the video. This model already recently appeared in a face to face in front of the iPhone 16E. But this time the approach is different: there is no direct comparison, but a total immersion in what the A56 offers, with its strengths and its most questionable decisions. One of the key sections is the camera, where Samsung repeats formula with respect to previous generations. Mario reviews his capabilities and puts on the table some deficiencies that begin to be difficult to justify in this range. Is it a lot about last year’s model? In the video there are examples that help you understand it. On the 21st of tests, the performance enters the scene. The new Samsung processor, along with its general optimization, leaves a clear sensation, especially after intense sessions of game or multitasking. Is it going as fluid as promises on paper? Mario does not keep his impression. The battery, as usual in this range, maintains the figure of 5,000 mAh. But the difference is in management, and how that data translates into screen hours and effective load. Here we also find some interesting surprise. And yes, as always, the price ends up being the definitive filter. Because it’s not just about specifications, but what you get in return. In that analysis, Mario does not remain superficial. Exposes what the Galaxy A56 offers and puts it in context with what you can find for similar figuresboth inside and outside Samsung. If you are thinking of changing mobiles and the Galaxy A56 is on your list of options, this video interests you. A month of use for a lot, and Mario has condensed his experience to have a clear idea before making any decision. Images | Xataka In Xataka | I have tried the most peculiar function of the CMF Phone 2 Pro: its dedicated button goes against the entire industry

We have just lived the first great blackout of the renewable era. The debate is now how to get the last one

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The debate in public opinion is served for the coming weeks, at least Until the conclave arrivesat which time it will be limited to the specialized circles of the energy sector. Bloomberg analyst Javier Blas, He has baptized What happened in Spain and Portugal as “the great green blackout of the era of renewable energy.” Although the authorities have not yet offered a definitive version, the debate has intensified. Until now. The official version is still preliminary, but Red Eléctrica de España has offered a technical reconstruction of what happened. According to the latest information, the fall was not the product of a cyber attack or sabotage, but of the failure chain of several systems in a context of high renewable penetration. In a matter of seconds, about 15 gigawatts were disconnected, approximately 60% of the consumption of electric demand, due to a sharp drop in voltage, known as “voltage hole.” This type of active fall automatic protection systems that disconnect power plants and substations to avoid greater damage. According to Financial Timesthe lack of inertia – the capacity of certain infrastructure such as turbines to stabilize the network— He worsened the problem. And since Portugal partially depends on the Spanish supply, the blackout immediately extended to the entire neighboring country. Despite this, Beatriz Corredor, president of Red Electrica, He has warned that “it is not correct to relate the incident to the penetration of renewables”, defending that these technologies work stable and that the Spanish electrical system is resilient. He also pointed out that millions of data are being analyzed to clarify the exact causes of the blackout and reinforce the response protocols. Debate is reopened. A few weeks ago, the discussion in the energy sector revolved around Scheduled closure of the nuclear centrals planned for two years. However, the blackout has catalyzed a more visible ideological shock: renewable vs. nuclear. Such as has detailed eldiario.es, what happened has fed tensions among those who defend the energy transition against those who want to keep nuclear as stable support. In that same article, Jorge Sanz, the former president of the Commission for Energy Transition, has declared that one of the factors was the massive disconnection of renewables before a voltage hole. However, like has pointed out Renewable expert Xavier Cugat in his networks, Sanz has omitted a relevant fact: The existence of the Srap (Automatic protection response system), already operational and with several real and solar wind capacity gigawatts. A crucial tool that, although it did not avoid the blackout, is part of the effort to improve the technical response of renewables in these situations. But there is an unstoppable reality. According to Irenain 2024 92.5% of the new electrical power installed worldwide was renewable. That is, twelve times more renewable than nuclear, gas and coal together were installed. Clean energies are already the norm: they are cheaper, safe and in many countries, almost the only option that is being expanded. There are already concrete examples: countries like Paraguay, Iceland or Norway They work with 100% of renewable generation. The address is clear; What is at stake is how to manage this transformation without compromising system stability. What is the way? As has explained for RNE The head of the Rey Juan Carlos University, Eloy Sanz, which the Iberian Peninsula is an “energy island” with Very little international connection. Spain and Portugal need an integration much stronger With the rest of Europe to share surpluses, balance demand and strengthen system safety. To this is added the need to continue investing in storage, such as batteries, Reversible pumping plants either Green hydrogen. Finally, the development of technologies such as Synthetic inertiaalready deployed in countries such as Denmark, which simulate the stabilizing effect of old thermal plants or other strategy such as Synchronous Power Controlwhich allow renewables to also contribute to the stability of the network without the need for batteries or physical inertia flyers. Ignoring this has a price. As He has summarized Javier Blas in his column with crudeness: “The design of the network, the policies and risk analysis are not yet up to the management of an excess of renewables.” It is not an attack on clean energy, but a call of attention. The error would be to abandon renewables by a blackout, nor were fossil fuels left after Blackout New York in 1977. But we must learn. The future of energy will be renewable, but it cannot be naive or ideological. Image | Unspash Xataka | The problem is not that Spain depends much on renewable energies: it is not interconnected with Europe

A call was enough

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While in Spain we tried to heat the food obtaining heat with shapes Alternatives to electricitythe bosom of the Oval Office between Donald Trump and Jeff Bezos were more than warm, as they counted in Fox News. The filtration of an internal Amazon report in which the possibility that the giant of the Jeff Bezos online trade Draw the impact of tariffs on the price of each product. White House reactions soon arrived and the own Trump off the phone To talk to Bezos. An internal Amazon report. The political fire began after the Publication of an internal report by the American environment PunchBowl News. In this internal Amazon document, the possibility of detailing in the final price of the products was considered the additional cost derived from tariffs, as is done with taxes or with the shipping cost. With this movement, the company founded by Jeff Bezos approached the strategy of rivals as Shein and Temuwhich are planned to increase the prices of products that are sent to the US as a result of tariffs to China and break up your cost. The White House draws the artillery. Such and As you collect the BBCthe White House response soon arrived. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt found Trump’s discomfort in a press conference for the content of the report and described the intentions of the Jeff Bezos company as “a hostile and political act by Amazon.” White House spokeswoman added: “Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration raised inflation at its highest level in 40 years? This is another reason why Americans should buy American products.” Leavitt went a little further in the valuations of the Amazon report, flying A publication of 2021 Reuters in which Amazon was accused of aligning with “the Chinese propaganda arm” to censor the reviews of the users of a book with the speeches of Chinese president Xi Jinping. In An interview With the CNBC, Howard Lutnick, US Secretary of Commerce, described Amazon’s decision as “absurd”. “A 10% tariff will not change virtually any price,” said the universal tariff percentage for all countries. “The only price that would change would be that of a product that we did not produce here, such as the mango,” the person in charge of trade slid that, According to data Statista, 71% of the products that Amazon sells They are manufactured in China and support tariffs up to 145%. Trump picks up the phone. The alarms for the measure planned to apply Amazon reached the oval office, where Trump He picked up the phone To speak personally with Jeff Bezos and make him give up his intention, despite the fact that the millionaire is no longer the official CEO of the company. According to subsequent statements by Donald Trump, Bezos would have agreed not to move on with that average. “Jeff Bezos was very friendly. He was fantastic. He solved the problem very fast. He did the right thing. He is a good person,” the US president praised, as he collected he Washington Post. The rapid rectification of Jeff Bezos does not surprise anyone, especially taking into account the Millionaire’s efforts to entertain Trump, with millionaire donations For your investiture and dictating the your newspaper editorial line. Amazon reculates. Just after that call between Donald Trump and Jeff Bezos, Amazon defended himself From your social networks ensuring that the information published were only ideas and considerations of a working document of the team that manages the Amazon Haul store in which they are sold low -cost products manufactured in China. That makes your products especially tariff susceptible. However, the company emphasizes that “this was never considered for the main page of Amazon and nothing has been implemented in any of its properties.” Subsequently to the call, the White House spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, reduced the intensity of her words to Jeff Bezos and Amazon, stating that “I will not talk about the president’s relationships with Jeff Bezos.” Relationships that, on the other hand, have been maintained with a certain degree of tension since Trump’s first mandate for the Amazon postal rates. Amazon actions down. After the government’s reaction before the Amazon report, the response of investors It was dropping In 2.3% the shares of the company due to the fear of reprisals against the company by the Trump administration. Once the spirits were calmed, the company’s actions regained confidence returning to its previous market price to continue normally. In Xataka | Luxury brands hoped to land in the US after their fall in China: tariffs have cut their wings before taking off Image | Flickr (IAFASTRO, Gage Skidmore)

that and more in the new crossover episode

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He iPhone 16 He has been in the market for several months, but the debate about whether it is worth it in the face of multiple Android alternatives It is still more alive than ever. This new generation, presented in September, arrived with few aesthetic changes: the main novelties are inside, especially in the hardware section with the Chips A18 and A18 Pro. This has been one of the great themes of seventh episode of crossoverthe program that is born from the collaboration between Xataka and the range of range, where Carlos Santa Engracia and Jaume Lahoz star in an intense face to face on the iPhone 16. Is the camera button really used? What about fast charging or autonomy? The questions accumulate … and also surprises: they raffle an iPhone 16 pro max. But there is more. José Luis Laurel reviews the Technological News With news fresh out of the oven: the Cupertino company bats sales records, news about ‘Star Wars’, advances in the understanding of the dolphins by Google … and much more. Javier Pastor, from Xataka, joins the episode to put order in the phenomenon of artificial intelligence. Beyond the boom of Chatgptexplain what is behind this technology and why it all started with a key advance of Google. In addition, Mario Herraiz travels to China and takes us to the heart of the Shanghai Motor Show. From cars with glass controls Even chargers with two hoses, going through his visit to the Yangwang dealership, where he tried the denza Z9 GT. And, of course, there was also space for self -confidence. Miguel tested Carlos and Jaume with a viral challenge: a Tiktok choreography that ended the three dancing before the cameras the popular dance of Lamine Yamal. It was not perfect, but unforgettable. A complete, varied and rhythm episode. You can leave yours Impressions in the commentspropose ideas for next topics or simply enjoy it. Thanks for being on the other side! On YouTube | Crossover

China wants to win the career of AI giving the services that others charge

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Alibaba has just launched Qwen 3his family of AI models with “hybrid” reasoning capabilities, just three months after Deepseek shook the industry with R1. It is not a coincidences: both Chinese companies have adopted a diametrically opposite strategy to that of the United States. While Openai reserves the best functions and expands limits to those who pay at least $ 20 per month (with more permissiveness if they are 200), and Google reserves their advanced functions to subscribers, Chinese giant publish open source models with almost restrictions, free for personal or commercial use. It is not altruism, but A direct attack on the western business model, based on the fact that the mere access to a great model justifies the payment. Qwen 3 arrives in eight variants: from light versions of 600 m parameters that fit on a mobile to a 235 b titan that rivals O3 and Gemini 2.5 Pro. They all allow alternate between fast answers and step -by reasoning —The trait that opens Sell ​​as differential-, but without tolls. We are facing the “Linux” of AI. China does not want to lift fenced gardens, but to dynamite the commercial logic that supports great American technology. Each open launch that touches the level of owner systems erodes its perceived value. Why pay $ 20 per month for chatgpt if you can mount FREE QWEN 3 with a similar yield? The pressure on OpenAI, Google or Anthropic grows with each Asian iteration. Marc Benioff He summarized it after The Deepseek earthquake: “The models and interface are already commodities; the value is in the data.” China has internalized it before Silicon Valley. The play involves clear advantages: It partially raffers chips restrictions by squeezing efficiency. Mobilizes a global community that improves and displays its technology. Set standards de facto That, over time, they will channel the entire ecosystem. The thesis is clear: Basic models will be one more utility. The business will be in the applications and in the data that nourish them. It is no accident that Alibaba Alardee that Qwen already accumulates more than 100,000 derivatives, above those based on flame. Silicon Valley faces a dilemma: persist and risk irrelevance or open and sacrifice short -term income. The paradox is also clear: the free western market is being challenged by Chinese firms under the flag of the Open Source. While Musk accelerates with Grok 3.5 and OpenAi continues to show the way to pass through month to month, China advances without brake: more power for less cost until paying for the is as absurd as paying for an operating system. In Xataka | Deep Research is not just a new AI function. It is the beginning of the end of intellectual work as we know it Outstanding image | Alibaba, Xataka

There was a time when even the shampoos or the Pokéball had a radio. And Spain has rediscovered by force

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The blackout that Spain suffered Last Monday, April 28, with still unknown causeleft a very learning: The radio It was by far the best means to inform yourself Before the crisis. The stations survived the cuts thanks to electrogen equipment and the spotlights of the Spaniards allowed to be aware of the situation. During the hours after the blackout, Tiktok became a stranger transistor showcase. The Radio-Ranathe radio-barbieradios that They emulate those of past centuries… Spanish being Spanish, as we usually do The golden age of the transistor. Between the mid -50s and the end of the 80s the radio became a key medium thanks to the transistor. A cheap electronic device, small and easy to implement in any device. The radio was The most immediate medium To know the news, and the big companies began to obsess with providing this technology to their products. The solution was easy: turn your objects into radios. A cultural phenomenon. Having a radio at home was part of pop culture and was synonymous with modernity, a train to which the big (mainly American) began to join from the 60s. They began to integrate radios into watches, briefcases, coca-cool bottles, hair dryers, backpacks … and even shampoo boats. The radio became more a claim than a real utility with the popularization of TV and the Internet entered the 90s. The most rocambolesque radios. The blackout has left us dozens of videos and memes related to the most hilarious transistors. Some that demonstrate the fever in Spain with these products and, particularly, the resistance to the time they have. An HS shampoo, an informative Pokéball, or the Pizza Hut radius in collaboration with Cocacola for 25 years ago that my partner Rubén had in the drawer. Immune devices to programmed obsolescence and with the only need for a few AA batteries to function. A profitable market. Rescue HS shampoo It has a price of 75 euros on eBay. A Darth Vader head with Radio exceeds 100and a mini Coca-Cola fridge with radio included It costs about 30 euros. The radio culture, lives more than 100 years after its invention, has been the best evidence that Current technology is not infallible, And that there are inventions that far from being obsolete, have not yet been overcome. Image | eBay In Xataka | If you want to see series on blackouts, it makes all the meaning: fictions help explain us reality

put a gasoline engine

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“Between 2033 and 2035”. That was the approximate date that Volkswagen gave to stop selling vehicles with internal combustion engine in Europe. Obviously, he also talked about plug -in hybrids. It was the year 2021 And the industry seemed to walk to “all electric” in our continent In the middle of a fever that pushed brands to show themselves as the fastest company to jump into the electric car. Shortly after, in 2022, The company was more concise and began to make it clear that the electric car prioritized against combustion but sales They have not finished accompanying. Although the commitment to the electric car has been giant within the company, to the point of compromise your accounts in the short termit has not been until this year and taking advantage of a hard Tesla crisis when they have achieved sell more electric vehicles than those of Elon Musk. The results, therefore, do not seem to be expected. And, consequently, they have already begun to slide that perhaps they were wrong with their focus. This is what the words of Martin Sander, a member of the Volkswagen Sales and Marketing Council to Auto Express during the last Shanghai Motor Show. The Chinese secret of the extended range “I think that for a long time we will see combustion engines in our vehicles but for a different purpose. We believe that in Europe there will be space for an autonomy extensor on the road to the battery electric car,” Sander told the English environment. In his statements, the Volkswagen executive stressed that the company was fixing what happens around it: “Here in China we will have autonomy extensors with possibly 250-300 km of electric autonomy. The combustion engine on board is basically a generator to load the battery.” This peculiar plug -in hybrid is what in Europe we know as an extended range electric, a very little used formula but that more and more companies begin to see in it a short -term solution in the transition to the electric car. Is the one that implements Mazda at MX-30 But it is also a formula that has triumphed in China and that begins to export to Europe. In this case, the car uses a battery of a considerable size that allows you to travel the 250 or 300 kilometers in electric mode mentioned by Sander. The combustion engine only nourishes a gas tank designed exclusively to support the electric motor in case of emergency since those electrical kilometers should be enough for the vast majority of trips. When the combustion engine comes into operation, it acts as a series hybrid. That is, the engine generates electricity to the battery by burning the fuel and it is the battery that nourishes electric motors that, in turn, push the wheels. What is achieved is that the touch of the car is very similar to that of an electric despite being moved by gasoline, as is the case in the Nissan Qashqai. These types of solutions are common in China. Small electric cars succeed in the Asian country because cities are huge and longer trips are not usually done by car. However, those who do need this support for a gasoline engine have extended range electricity that are cars that are categorized as electric (both options are called “New energy vehicles”), with the tax advantages that this implies. The solution can be especially interesting for Volkswagen in Europe. Since 2025, the homologation of plug -in hybrids has changed, reflecting the Triple of emissions that so far Despite being the same car. This complicates things when fulfilling Maximum emissions imposed by 2027. Before, a plug -in hybrid was the shortest and most attractive path to reduce emissions, today it is no longer such a useful path. However, if the electrical autonomy of plug -in hybrids sold in Europe (which in most cases does not reach 100 km of approved electrical autonomy) duplicate or triple this figure, CO2 emissions in homologation will fall dramatically, bringing emissions objectives. This extended range electric option is something that is also playing Mazda to offer sports cars not including a huge battery that ruins its historical commitment to lightness and light cars. Photo | Volkswagen In Xataka | “It is not sustainable”: Mazda does not believe in the future of electric cars with large autonomies

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