A new ACEA report highlights the gap between the current availability of public charging points for electric cars in the European Union (EU) and the projected demand to meet CO2 reduction targets. Here are some key points from the report:
- EU electric car sales grew three times faster than charging point installation between 2017 and 2023. This means that the demand for charging infrastructure has outpaced its development, creating a gap.
- To meet industry estimations, the EU needs eight times more charging points annually by 2030. This means that the current installation rate of public charging points is not sufficient to meet the projected demand for electric vehicles in the coming years.
- ACEA’s Director General, Sigrid de Vries, emphasized that mass-market adoption of electric cars in all EU countries is necessary to achieve the region’s ambitious CO2 reduction targets. However, this will not happen without the widespread availability of public charging infrastructure across the region.
- As of last year, there were over 630,000 public charging points installed across the EU. However, this number is still insufficient to support the growing demand for electric vehicles.
- The European Commission estimates that 3.5 million charging points should be installed by 2030 to meet the demand for electric vehicles. However, ACEA estimates that the actual need will be closer to 8.8 million charging points by 2030.
- To close the infrastructure gap and meet climate targets, investments in public charging infrastructure must be urgently ramped up, according to de Vries. This would require installing around 1.2 million chargers per year, which is eight times the current annual installation rate.
Summary
The report highlights the urgent need for increased investment in public charging infrastructure to support the growing demand for electric vehicles in the EU and to meet the region’s ambitious CO2 reduction targets.
With conventional means of building public EV charging infrastructure, CO2 reduction targets are unattainable. What Europe needs is the cooperation of all road users – this means making private charging stations accessible for all EVs. Opening up the previously closed private charging infrastructure not only enables a significantly faster growth of the EV market, but also provides a financing opportunity for private households that want to create and operate charging stations. It’s time for a P2P market for EV charging, it’s time for MOBIX Park & Charge.