Charging stations for electric vehicles must be placed along the main European motorways at least every 60 kilometres from 2026, the European Parliament decided on Tuesday.
The charging stations will be located every 60 kilometres from 2026 and must have a capacity of at least 400 kW, and be able to generate at least 600 kW from 2028.
"In the future, you should be able to charge your electric car anywhere in the European Union. These new rules ensure that," said Belgian MEP for the Flemish socialist party Vooruit, Kathleen Van Brempt.
For trucks, there will be a charging point every 60 km from 2031. By then, hydrogen filling stations will also have to be installed every 200 km along the main motorways.
Quantity and quality
For Van Brempt, the new legislation – which was approved by 514 votes to 52 and 74 abstentions – will help remove existing barriers to the mass switch to electric driving. The lack of charging infrastructure is one major block alongside the relatively high price of electric cars. She therefore wants the sector to look for "solutions to bring more affordable and smaller electric cars to the market."
Today, Flanders already has more than 25,000 charging points, Mobility Minister Lydia Peeters announced last week. By 2025, that number has to be up to 35,000 stations in the region, with (ultra) fast charging infrastructure every 25 km along the motorways and major traffic axes.
"A good thing," said Van Brempt. "In addition to quantity, quality also counts. Flanders will have to ensure that all this infrastructure is also accessible and that the price for charging is correct and transparent."
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The European Parliament and the Member States have already decided that the accessibility of charging stations must be improved. “The mishmash of charging cards and subscription formulas must stop. In the future, you should always be able to pay with your bank card at publicly accessible charging stations. Those charging stations will also have to be accessible for every type of car," said Van Brempt.
The EU also expects transparency about the price of the electricity supplied; the European Commission is being asked to set up a database that informs consumers about alternative fuels, and more specifically about availability, waiting time and price at different stations.
