CO2 target requires “8.3 million new EV charging stations”
Proposals to cut CO2 emissions in the EU by 50% by 2030 are unrealistic, warns ACEA. It would require the installation of at least 700,000 new EV charging points per year. Today the whole EU only has 100,000.
Next Tuesday, 10 July, the European Parliament (EP) votes on future CO2 targets for cars and vans. The European Commission (EC) has suggested -30% as a target for 2030, but some in the EP are going as far as -50%.
Huge increase
Those figures are worrying ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association. Pointing out that the room for further improvements to combustion-engine technology is limited, it concludes that future CO2 reductions are strongly dependent on a huge increase of vehicles with alternative motorisations – electricity being the most popular and likely option.
However, a new study shows that this is virtually impossible, for lack of sufficient charging infrastructure. Today, there are some 100,000 EV charging points in the European Union. EU Climate Action Commissioner Miguel Arias Cañete has said that a 50% reduction would require 700,000 new charging points per year, from now on.
Radical action
This would mean a total of 8.4 million new charging points over the next 12 years, or 84 times more than today. “Without radical action by the member states, this simply won't happen”, says Erik Jonnaert, ACEA's secretary-general.
This lack of sufficient charging infrastructure – and the huge imbalance in its present distribution – is putting consumers off buying EVs, ACEA says. According to its data, more than three-quarters of all EV charging points in the EU are located in just four countries: the Netherlands (28%), Germany (22%), France (14%) and the UK (12%).
Two things
Five member states have less than 100 charging points each: Cyprus (36), Greece (38), Latvia (73), Bulgaria (94) and Malta (97).
“Two things are very clear: future CO2 reductions depend on greater EV sales, and those depend on a dense network of charging infrastructure. CO2 legislation must therefore link these two elements”, Mr Jonnaert concludes.
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