The European Commission and the European Parliament have agreed on binding targets for the development of alternative fuels infrastructure (AFIR) for cars and trucks. In future, drivers should be able to recharge their cars along the main European traffic axes at least every 60 kilometers. In addition, hydrogen filling stations are to be built every 200 kilometers.
EAC President Holger Küster sees an urgent need for action:
"Currently, around 70 percent of all charging stations for e-cars are located in only three member states, in Germany, France and the Netherlands. Accordingly, more speed is needed to advance the expansion of necessary infrastructure, especially in Central and Eastern European member states.”
From 2025, fast-charging stations with at least 150 kW capacity are to be installed every 60 km on the routes of the trans-European transport network (TEN-T). From EAC's point of view, a shorter distance would be necessary so that motorists can use sufficient charging options. The obligation to provide a charging capacity of 1.3 kW for every registered battery-powered vehicle via a publicly accessible charging infrastructure is also not considered ambitious enough, EAC criticized.
In addition, hydrogen refueling infrastructure that can serve both cars and lorries must be deployed from 2030 onwards in all urban nodes and every 200 km along the TEN-T network. In the opinion of the EAC the targeted network for hydrogen vehicle is not dense enough - a more ambitious target would be necessary for a ramp-up.
The EAC welcomes the mandatory full price transparency and the provision of uniform ad-hoc payment methods with debit or credit card by operators of electric charging stations and hydrogen refueling stations.
"Driving and charging a battery and hydrogen-powered vehicle must be just as easy and affordable as refueling conventional vehicles," explains Küster.
Drivers are anything but convinced by electric mobility
The AFIR regulation addresses one of the main factors for customer acceptance of electric mobility with a well-developed charging and refuelling infrastructure. According to the Deloitte Global Automotive Consumer Study 2023, higher costs and a lack of range are among the most important barriers to the acceptance of electric vehicles (BEVs and PHEVs). At the same time, drivers are anything but convinced by electric mobility. In September and October 2022, Deloitte surveyed over 26,000 consumers in 24 countries, including 1,506 from Germany.
Result:
One in two (49% in Germany) would reconsider buying an electrified car if E-Fuels are available for cars.
(Source: 2023 Deloitte Global Automotive Consumer Study)
Therefore, the EAC advocates eFuels as an additional option - especially regarding the solutions for the current long-life vehicle fleet.
In principle, the EAC welcomes the agreement with clear and binding targets for the expansion of the European refueling and charging infrastructure.
The European Automobile Clubs (EAC) is an association of six European automobile clubs. The EAC is clearly in favour of technology openness and neutrality in motorised individual transport. Therefore, the EAC rejects a political focus on individual technologies.
Press contact:
Gerrit Reichel
Senior Policy Officer
EAC European Automobile Clubs
Berlin Office: Schöneberger Ufer 89 c/o DEVK
Postfach 610217
10923 Berlin
+49 172 1890658
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