Is Europe unprepared for the influx of electric cars? In its annual study, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) concludes that the available charging infrastructure in the EU is far below what is needed.

The ACEA report tracks the progress on the availability of the infrastructure and incentives needed to accommodate the increasing share of electric vehicles (110% over the last three years).

Source ACEA

The stats are not exactly pretty:

- Four of the 27 member states hold 75% of all charging points in the EU (25.4% Netherlands, 20.3% Germany, 15.2% France, 14.3% UK)

- Only 1 in 7 charging points is a fast charger

- At least 2.8 million EV charging points will be needed by 2030, currently the number stands at 200,000.

A January-report by Transport & Environment (T&E) showed that 1.3 million public charging points are needed in the next five years, just to keep up with the minimum demand. That is a tall order. The EU’s official goal of 1 million public chargers by 2025 is therefore not sufficient, even according to the lowest projections. 

Availability for all

Besides that, other factors come into play for which many of the EU member states are not prepared such as digital smartness of the electricity grid, the coverage of the highway network and the availability of seamless payment systems.

T&E argues that home and workplace charging should be prioritised. Between 20-30% of the proposed 1 million chargers will need to be in disadvantaged and less densely populated areas to ensure everyone benefits from zero-emission vehicles.

"Recharging an electric car should be as simple and transparent for consumers as refueling at a petrol station - with fair prices and the possibility for ad hoc payment."

We couldn’t agree more.