Electric vehicles (EVs) are growing in popularity across Europe as part of the fight against climate change. But a new report shows that the continent is falling behind on one important goal; building enough EV charging stations.
According to energy technology company gridX, the European Union (EU) has just over 882,000 public chargers so far. That’s far from the EU’s goal of 3.5 million chargers by 2030. To reach that target, Europe would need to install about 410,000 chargers each year. Right now, the rate of installation is much slower than that.
And some experts say the EU target may not even be enough. The European carmakers’ association, ACEA, believes Europe will need around 8.8 million chargers by 2030 to support a full switch to electric cars.
Without enough charging stations, many people are afraid to buy electric cars. This fear is called “range anxiety.” Even though new EV batteries can go farther, about 389 kilometers on average per full charge, drivers still worry they won’t find a charger when they need one.
A trip across Europe, like from Lisbon in Portugal to Białystok in Poland, would require at least 10 charging stops. But that only works if the chargers are well-placed and easy to find. In many areas, especially off the main highways, this is not the case.
But, building more charging stations is not easy. Many countries face delays because of power grid congestion, high costs, and complicated rules. There is also no single system across the EU to approve new charger installations. Different regions have different rules, which slow everything down.
Another issue is that charging stations don’t always work well with every EV model or charging app. This lack of “interoperability” makes the experience frustrating for users.
Some parts of Europe are doing better than others. The Netherlands, Germany, and France have the most chargers in total. But when we look at how many chargers there are for each person or for every 100 kilometers of highway, the Nordic countries, like Norway and Sweden, are leading the way.
Eastern and Southern Europe have started growing their charging networks, but they still have a lot of catching up to do.
Because of all these challenges, most electric car owners are playing it safe. A survey by gridX found that 73% of EV users mainly drive their cars for short city trips. Around 70% plan their charging stops in advance, and more than half prefer charging at home. Many drivers avoid public chargers because they’re too expensive or too confusing to use due to subscriptions and different tariffs.
If Europe wants to reach its green goals and encourage more people to switch to electric vehicles, it must speed up the rollout of charging stations. That means fixing the power grid, lowering costs, and making it easier to install chargers across all EU countries.
More chargers, in more places, will reduce range anxiety and make it easier for people to choose electric cars with confidence. As things stand, manufacturers like NIO Inc. (NYSE: NIO) seeking to establish themselves on the European market may need to come up with innovative solutions that address the charging infrastructure challenge if they are to win the hearts and minds of buyers within the region.
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