New buildings in Europe required to have EV charging points 

All new and thoroughly renovated residential buildings with more than ten parking spaces must be equipped with the appropriate pre-wiring for a charging point in each parking space. In the case of commercial buildings, 20% of spaces have to be pre-wired.

That's the result of the revised directive on the energy performance of buildings the European Parliament has approved. The new directive includes measures to ensure that buildings' car parks are increasingly prepared to have charging stations installed so EV owners can charge their vehicles easily.

The directive will also require the member states to enact regulations on the installation of a minimum number of charging points for all non-residential buildings with more than 20 parking spaces by 1 January 2025.

In a statement, the European Parliament said: "Following the approval by the European Parliament of the revised directive on Energy Performance of Buildings on 17 April 2018, the Council of Ministers has to finalise its formal agreement in an upcoming Council meeting. This endorsement will be followed shortly by the publication of the text in the Official Journal of the Union, which will enter into force 20 days after publication. Member States will then have to transpose the new elements of the Directive into national law within 20 months."

Vice-President responsible for the Energy Union Maroš Šefčovič added: "By renovating and making our buildings in Europe smarter, we are attaining several simultaneous objectives: lower energy bills, better health, protection of the environment and reduction of our emissions in the EU, given that over a third of these are produced by buildings. And as technology has blurred the distinction between sectors, we are also establishing a link between buildings and e-mobility infrastructure, and helping stabilise the electricity grid. Another building block of the Energy Union has been laid today, let us continue ahead."

The move is part of a wider European policy to reduce the CO₂ output and to boost the uptake of electric vehicles. To this day, consumers have been wary of switching to EVs in spite of the collapse of the diesel market. Car manufacturers for their part are also redoubling efforts to develop electric vehicles in an effort to avoid heavy fines if they do not meet their targets by 2021.

Image: EU flags in front of the European Commission building in Brussels