A new report from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) highlights a concerning gap in the availability of public charging points for electric cars in the EU compared to what will be needed to meet CO2 reduction targets. Between 2017 and 2023, sales of electric cars in the EU grew at a rate three times faster than the installation of charging points, according to the report. Looking ahead, ACEA estimates that the EU will need eight times more charging points each year by 2030 to meet these targets.
The general director of ACEA, Sigrid de Vries, emphasized the importance of mass-market adoption of electric cars across all EU countries to achieve Europe’s ambitious CO2 reduction goals. However, she expressed concerns that infrastructure construction has not kept pace with electric car sales in recent years, leading to a widening “infrastructure gap” that could be more significant than initially estimated by the European Commission.
Currently, there are just over 150,000 public charging points across the EU, with an average of less than 3,000 added per week. To meet the European Commission’s goal of installing 3.5 million charging points by 2030, around 410,000 public charging points would need to be added annually. ACEA, on the other hand, estimates that 8.8 million charging points will be necessary by 2030, requiring the installation of 1.2 million chargers per year.
De Vries stressed that easy access to public charging points is crucial for decarbonizing road transport and achieving climate goals. She called for urgent increases in investments in public charging infrastructure to close the infrastructure gap and move closer to these targets. The need for a competitive production framework in Europe was also emphasized as a key factor in achieving these goals.