The overall demand for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations is soaring high in European countries.

As the oil prices soar continuously, and the European governments crack down on combustion engines to get rid of the global warming, more & more drivers are considering switching to electric vehicles (EVs). For the very first time, more than 50% of the car buyers surveyed worldwide desperately want their next purchase to be an EV or a hybrid model, as per Ernst & Young’s latest Mobility Consumer Index. This, in turn, has highly surged the demand for the installation of EV charging stations. The Electric Vehicle Charging Station Market worth was USD 9.47 in 2020, which is poised to expedite up to USD 142.46 by 2030 with a CAGR of 31.14%.

For many people living in the European countries, switching to a world of Evs can even become an obligation in due course of time, as the EU moves closer to banning the sales of new diesel or petrol cars by the year 2035.

But as for now, the summer holidays are approaching, and hence the new and prospective owners can be highly nervous when it comes to taking long trips in an EV, with an inner fear that they might run out of power prior to reaching a charging station. The Electric Vehicle Database has reported that the average battery range of the EVs currently sits at a comfortable range of around 326 km, which is enough to allay the so-called range anxiety whenever it comes to everyday usage.

On the other hand, a cross-border European road trip will require topping up along the way, & the infrastructure across the entire continent still remains a bit patchy in many areas. Not only are the charging stations very unevenly distributed, but also the providers & payment systems are different. 

Here are the two important things that an individual needs to know about Europe’s EV charging station landscape.

a.) The EV charging infrastructure status is very much uneven in Europe

Currently, the EU have more than around 330k publicly accessible charging points, & that number is continuously growing, but their uneven deployment literally means “travel across the continent in electric vehicles or EVs is not at all easy,” the European Court of Auditors elucidated it clearly in a report last year. 

The three European countries – Deutschland, France & the Netherlands cover up to 69 per cent of all the charging points across the continent of the EU, whereas the ten other European countries do not possess a single charging station per 100 km of roadway. 

The European Commission is aiming to hit a target of nearly 1 million charging points by the year 2025, but on the other hand, the ECA’s report has strictly warned that the overall target risk can be missed “if the deployment process continues to follow the current trends”. It is estimated that around 150k new points will be required each year, almost 3,000 a week and very close to the gap.

b.) The overall scenario of Europe’s charging station landscape is changing frequently

There is a sufficient reason to be optimistic, though. The market is slowly starting to consolidate, & as more and more EVs hit the roads, the number of charging stations are popping up, & the investment in infrastructure is getting recouped more quickly. 

One out of every 11 new cars has been sold in the EU in 2022 to date, and it is fully electric. This showed a jump of 63% as compared to 2020, as per the data from the ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers Association).

Meanwhile, as per the Charge Up Europe stats, the overall publicly accessible charging points alone have risen abruptly sixfold over the last few years. Those are the chargers which are found on the motorways, shopping centres, and car parks at the supermarkets. Those public stations eventually account for up to 15 per cent of the total number of charging points that are available in the EU. The vast majority of EV charging occurs in commercial or private residential buildings, & that’s where Charge Up Europe witnesses the most opportunity for growth.

CONCLUSION

However, looking ahead, in the future, the smart charging will highly help the owners to find out when it is the best time to tap the grid system for recharging their car & some vehicles are already being able to re-inject a surplus amount of power to the grid.