2023-07-27 10:17:02
The electrification of the automotive industry in Europe is advancing at different speeds, with Spain, for the moment, in the caboose in terms of the number of public charging points for electric vehicles.
Now Europe has gotten serious and tries to match the electrification process. To this end, the Twenty-seven have given the final go-ahead to the agreement that will force there to be at least one charging point for electric vehicles every 60 kilometers on the basic road network of the European Union and every 100 kilometers on the rest of the roads in the integrated trans-European network (TEN-T).
In this way, national governments must ensure that no later than December 31, 2025 there will be charging points every 60 kilometers in the priority network with a power of at least 400 kW and at least 150 kW at their individual starting point.
Looking ahead to March 31, 2027, the targets will be raised to a power of 600wW while individual output points of at least 150kW will go from one to at least two.
This represents a major challenge for countries like Spain, where according to the Spanish Association of Car and Truck Manufacturers (ANFAC)Currently, there are 698 high-power public access charging points, but 3,513 are required to be operational by 2023 if the annual goal established by Fit for 55 is to be achieved.
Spain will have to multiply its charging network by five
At the end of 2022, of the 18,128 public access charging points that Spain had, only 3.8% were for high-power charging (≥ 150 kW). ANFAC warns that Spain should multiply its high-power charging network by five as it is essential for electric vehicles to be used on long-distance road journeys, allowing charging times of between 15 and 27 minutes.
For José López-Tafall, general director of ANFAC, “the objectives established by the European Union are not met only with the effort of the sector, but require a great effort on the part of the rest of the actors, a commitment from the Government and the Administrations to be able to carry out the transformation of mobility, and in parallel, maintain the weight of employment and industry that the automotive sector entails. The automotive industry is leading decarbonization and is already putting a wide range of electrified vehicles on the market. However, we are facing increasingly demanding emissions reduction targets and, therefore, it is necessary to establish tools to match those ambitions. The development of publicly accessible charging infrastructures is essential for the deployment of the electrified vehicle. But, in the same way, we cannot forget that encouraging the electrified market is just as necessary to advance in the public recharging network.
Fast charge
In more detail, the European Union agreement provides for fast charging points of at least 150 kW for cars and vans to be installed every 60 km along the main transport corridors of the EU before the start of 2026.
There should also be charging stations for heavy vehicles with a minimum power of 350 kW every 60 km along the TEN-T core network and every 100 km on the TEN-T comprehensive network from 2025 onwards , with full network coverage by 2030.
Hydrogen refueling stations serving both cars and trucks should be deployed from 2030 in all urban nodes and every 200 km along the TEN-T core network. Users must also be able to easily pay at charging or refueling points with a card or contactless devices, without the need for a subscription and with full transparency about payments.
On the other hand, seaports that receive a minimum number of large passenger ships or container ships must provide shore-based electricity for such ships no later than the beginning of 2030.
“The new law is a milestone in our ‘Fit for 55’ policy that provides increased public charging capacity on city streets and on motorways across Europe. We are optimistic that, in the near future, citizens will be able to charge their electric cars as easily as they do today at traditional gas stations”, declared the Minister of Transport and Mobility, Raquel Sánchez, who this semester assumes the rotating presidency of the ministerial meetings of the branch in the EU.
Following formal adoption, the new regulation will be published in the Official Journal of the EU after the summer and will enter into force on the 20th day after this publication. The new rules will apply from the six months following the date of entry into force of the regulation.
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