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A charging station every 60 kilometers - EU wants to expand infrastructure for e-cars


Since 2016, the number of electric cars in the EU has increased sevenfold, but the number of charging stations has only increased sixfold. This problem is now to be remedied by the accelerated expansion.

The European Union has agreed on binding targets for expanding the charging infrastructure. By 2026, there are to be charging stations at least every 60 kilometers along the most important transport axes, the trans-European transport networks (Ten-T). For trucks, charging stations are to be installed every 120 kilometers along the TEN-T roads by 2028. This is intended to send a clear signal for user-friendly charging infrastructure. Exceptions are to be made for remote regions where there is little traffic.

To ensure that there is no surplus of e-cars in the future, the project also stipulates that for every registered battery electric vehicle in each member state, 1.3 kilowatts of power will be provided by a publicly accessible charging infrastructure. In addition, payment and information on the price and performance of charging points are to be regulated uniformly. For example, the price must be stated in kilowatt hours and card payment must be offered.

In addition to charging stations for drivers, the hydrogen infrastructure is also to be expanded. The compromise between the EU member states and the parliament stipulates that there should be a hydrogen filling station every 200 km.
This means that there are now clear and legally binding targets for the expansion of the infrastructure.

The project has its origins in a proposal submitted by the European Commission in July last year. According to this, the expansion of alternative charging infrastructure for cars and ships is to be proposed as part of the new climate package. The expansion targets are intended to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the EU by at least 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. The agreement now reached will still be formally submitted to the EU Parliament and the Council of Member States for a decision.