European transport and energy groups demand intelligent infrastructure
The ACEA, Eurelectric and Transport & Environment (T&E) have issued a joint statement calling on European institutions to support a rapid rollout of intelligent charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.
In order to make charging at home, at work and along motorways as easy as possible for all drivers of electric vehicles, the involved associations believe that policymakers should appropriately reform important legislation such as the forthcoming EU Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Act (AFID) and the EU Buildings Directive (EPBD).
These demands were made by the Association of European Automobile Manufacturers, the European Electricity Industry Association and the umbrella organisation of European NGOs from the sustainable transport sector in a joint declaration.
This will require a massive expansion of the strategically located infrastructure for intelligent charging throughout the EU. “Thanks to an intelligent infrastructure, drivers can charge without seriously affecting or overloading European electricity grids,” they say. In their view, this offers “clear benefits for customers, the electricity system, the automotive industry and society as a whole”.
Existing EU financial instruments should also be better used to accelerate the development of charging infrastructure in all Member States. “By 2025 we will need 1.2 million public charging stations in Europe,” says Kristian Ruby, Secretary General of Eurelectric. The three organisations, which have joined forces for the first time, in this case, call for all users of electric vehicles to be guaranteed the “right to a socket”.
“To convince more customers to switch to electric vehicles, we need to eliminate the stress of recharging,” says ACEA Secretary General Erik Jonnaert. “This means that everyone must be able to recharge their vehicle without any problems, no matter where they live or where they want to travel. Julia Poliscanova, Director of Clean Vehicles at T&E, adds that: “Now that car manufacturers are preparing a wave of new and affordable electric models, we need to make sure that charging stations at home, at work and on the road are provided quickly and easily so that recharging an electric car becomes a stress-free experience for EU citizens”.
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