- European Parliament has adopted several rules to improve the electric car charging infrastructure across the EU
- Primary “trunk” roads must have 400kW-plus ultra-rapid chargers located every 60km by 2026
- EV owners will also no longer need to download multiple apps with mandatory contactless payments
The state of electric car charging within the EU is set to change
New rules adopted by the European parliament will make electric charging within the EU more accessible and simplified. They’ll come into law over the next few years, ahead of the Union’s 2035 ban on new internal combustion engine (ICE)-powered cars and vans. The rules are part of its ‘Fit for 55 in 2030’ package, which plans to bring EU-wide greenhouse gas emissions down 55% by 2030 compared to the 1990 levels.
The news comes shortly after the UK announced similar legislation for charge point operators to meet, including a 99% reliability target and mandating contactless payment options.
One stand-out piece of legislation brought about is the mandation of ultra-rapid chargers at least every 60km, on Europe’s ‘Trans-European Transport Network’. This is made up of the major routes running between the EUs cities and countries. These charging stations must meet a minimum power of 400kW by 2026, then increasing to 600kW by 2028.
Similar to the UK, the rules also require that charge point operators allow EV drivers to charge up without the need for a subscription, and enable the use of contactless payments. The parliament also requested that an EU-wide database on charging point availability, price, and wait times be ready by 2027.
How will individual countries handle these regulations?
Meeting these regulations is likely to be a challenge for some countries, but an easy task for others. EU states such as Greece still have a long way to go to meet these targets. According to ChargeUp Europe’s 2023 report, the country has 1,021 public charging points, compared to the Netherlands’ EU-leading 111,721 in a relatively small nation.
Meeting these regulations is likely to be a challenge for some countries, but an easy task for others. EU states such as Greece still have a long way to go to meet these targets. According to ChargeUp Europe’s 2023 report, the country has 1,021 public charging points, compared to the Netherlands’ EU-leading 111,721 in a relatively small nation.
Unlike the EU, the UK is planning to ban the sale of ICE cars and vans by 2030, rather than 2035. This goes some way to explain the shorter timescales for the UK’s corresponding legislation.
