Electric Vehicles

Europe Needs More Charge Points, ACEA
A Tesla Model S charging by the curb in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where there is an embarrassment of EV riches, while some Mediterranean neighbors are less well off, says thinks the continent’s automaker association. © RossHelen

Europe Needs More Charge Points, ACEA

By Simon Johns - Nov 16, 2020

The lack of sufficient and consistent electric vehicle charging infrastructure across Europe could stall uptake and make it hard for the continent’s automakers to meet emissions goals, said the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association in a new report on the bloc’s transition to zero-emissions transport.

ACEA, which represents Europe’s biggest car and truck makers, found that in the past three years EV numbers have grown at twice the rate of charge points, revealing that infrastructure is lagging sales.

Of the chargers that exist, only one in seven, or 28,500 points, is a fast charger with output of 22 kilowatts and above. The remaining 171,000 or so are slow and deliver up to 22kW. (Link to new charge point page?) Regardless of rating, they are also unevenly distributed, with the Netherlands, Germany, France and the United Kingdom accounting for 75% of all charge points yet 27% of the region’s area.

While 339 Dutch people share one charge point, 23,049 Cypriots have to jostle for each one connector on the Greek side of the island. But the are also 230,000 plug-in vehicles in the Netherlands, or one per 4.5 people, and only around 200 in Cyprus, or one for every 4,379 people.

“This is potentially very dangerous, as we could soon reach a point where growth of electric vehicle uptake stalls if consumers conclude there are simply not enough charging points where they need to travel, or that they have to queue too long for a fast charger,” said ACEA Director General Eric-Mark Huitema in a press release.

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