By 2026, drivers of electric cars on the main European thoroughfares must be able to charge their vehicle every sixty kilometres. Negotiators from the European Parliament and the Swedish EU Presidency have reached a political agreement.
The new regulation on the roll-out of alternative fuels infrastructure contains binding targets for charging stations and hydrogen filling stations, but also for shore power in ports and power supply for stationary aircraft.
Legislation must help guarantee that the transition to zero-emission transport is framed with sufficient infrastructure. “The number of electric cars has increased seventeenfold since 2016, but the number of charging stations has only increased sixfold,” said German MEP Ismail Ertug (SPD/S&D).
The regulation states that for every battery electric car registered in a country, a charging capacity of 1.3 kW, supplied by publicly accessible infrastructure, must be provided. In addition, along the so-called trans-European transport network (TEN-T), there must be a charging station of at least 150 kW every 60 kilometres by 2026.
For heavy-duty vehicles with a charging capacity of 350 kW, the target on the TEN-T is initially set every 100 kilometres, with full network coverage by 2030. By then, hydrogen refuelling infrastructure for cars and trucks must also be installed every 200 kilometres. “Citizens will no longer have any reason to be concerned about finding charging stations,” Swedish minister Andreas Carlson assured.
The regulation is part of Fit for 55, the package of legislation that should enable the European Union to become climate neutral by 2050, with a 55 percent reduction in emissions by 2030 as the first step. The text must still receive final approval from the Member States and the European Parliament.
