Europe plans to have an EV charging point every 60km by 2026

BRUSSELS: The European Parliament and Council have reached a provisional agreement to update the rules on alternative fuel infrastructure in the European Union.

In particular, the aim is to expand the deployment of charging stations throughout the bloc by mandating unprecedented minimum distances.

MEPs propose that electric charging stations for cars with a capacity of at least 400 kW be deployed every 60 km along the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) by 2026, and that their capacity be increased to 600 kW by 2028. This network includes the main roads and highways in Europe.

The agreement also requires trucks and buses to have a charging station every 120 km by 2028. These will have to offer a power of 1,400 kW to 2,800 kW, depending on the road.

The scheme also includes the mandatory presence of at least two charging stations for trucks in parking areas, again from 2028. Plus, there are plans to deploy hydrogen refuelling stations across the network, approximately every 200 km, by 2031.

All these measures may be subject to exemptions, particularly for the most outlying regions, islands and roads with very little traffic.

The aim of this agreement is evidently to simplify access to recharging solutions for all electric vehicles traveling on major roads, so that they can make long journeys without being stopped in their tracks.

In addition, payment should be facilitated, whether by means of traditional card payments, contactless or even QR codes, and prices will have to be displayed per kWh or per minute/session, in a perfectly transparent way.

This agreement will have to be studied and approved by the European Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism, then by the Parliament itself and finally by the Council to be definitively approved.

In 2022 alone, the European Commission approved funding for some 20 projects to modernize and develop alternative charging solutions. This should result in the creation of 5,700 electric charging points in 1,400 dedicated stations and about 50 hydrogen refuelling stations over the next three years.