Too slow, too haphazard - there is a problem with the expansion of the e-car charging network in the EU. The medium-term goal can hardly be achieved.
The expansion of the electric car charging infrastructure in Europe is not making any headway. The EU Court of Auditors criticizes the efforts of the member states as too slow, too uneven and too haphazard. Against this background, the goal of one million public charging stations by 2025 is in jeopardy, according to the auditors. Above all, there was a lack of a comprehensive gap analysis, targeted financial support, minimum standards and uniform payment systems.
At the end of 2020 there were around 250.000 charging points in the EU, but the majority were concentrated in the four countries Germany, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. In order to achieve the goal by the middle of the decade, 3.000 new charging points would have to be created every week across the EU. There are currently around 33.000 charging points in Germany. The expansion of the network is considered to be the basis for the further spread of locally emission-free e-cars.