Chargers every 60 kms: Europe’s solution for the EV charging network

The proposal, which is still not legally binding, has been widely accepted through the members of the European Parliament and wants to deploy this infrastructures along the main EU roads by 2026

This Monday 4th of October in the evening the European Parliament adopted a new resolution to improve the EV charging network on the member states: a charging station for every 60 kms along the main routes. The proposal, still yet not legally binding, wants to ensure that electric and hydrogen cell vehicles will be able to refill their ranges easier, faster and in a more user-friendly way, with “affordable, comparable and non-discriminatory price”, the announcement states.

The draft was adopted by the Transport and Tourism Committee of the European Parliament with a clear agreement, by 36 votes to 2 and 6 abstentions, and it aims to spur the recharging and refuelling stations not only for cars, but also trucks, trains and airplanes, thus supporting the uptake of sustainable vehicles. The members of the European Parliament also agreed to set minimum mandatory national targets for the deployment of these regulations and to ask EU countries to present their plan by 2024 on how to achieve it.

As agreed, the “electric charging pools” would be deployed every 60 kms along main EU roads by 2026, and the refuelling hydrogen stations should be found every 100 kms. For trucks and buses, on the other hand, the same requirements would apply by 2026, but only on the main core network corridors. However, the draft also contains that some deployment exemptions would apply to outermost regions, islands and roads with very little traffic.

Among the clearest matters referred into the proposal stands the simplicity and easyness of the charging or refuelling process for the alternative fueled vehicles users, especially regarding payment. The EU Parliament release states that EV drivers “should be able to pay easily”, and the price of every transaction should be displayed per kWh, and be affordable, comparable and accessible to all vehicle brands. In this sense, the draft shows the intention to create a EU access point for alternative fuels data to be set up by 2027 “to provide information on the availability, waiting times and prices at different stations”.

You’ll find more information about it here.