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Munich, 8 April 2024 – Europe's leading smart energy company, gridX, published its latest electric vehicle (EV) charging report today. The second edition of the report features a comprehensive analysis of Europe’s public EV charging infrastructure, examining roughly 750,000 charge points in 32 European countries, including the 27 member states of the European Union as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and the UK. A key insight of this year's study bodes well for Europe’s mobility revolution: fast (DC) charge points are being installed almost twice as fast (+ 96 percent compared to 2022) as AC charge points with medium or low capacity (+ 57 percent). In this way, the charging industry is demonstrating its clear vision for the future.
Norway puts on the accelerator, the Netherlands charges ahead
Two players are currently pioneering e-mobility in Europe: according to the new gridX analysis, Norway and the Netherlands are both making decisive progress in terms of electric vehicles and public charging infrastructure. While the Netherlands has an unparalleled lead in terms of the number of charge points per 100,000 inhabitants (817 compared to 447 in Norway), Norway demonstrates its dominance in terms of installed charging capacity per 100,000 inhabitants: 36,273 kilowatts (kW), far ahead of the Netherlands’ 15,765 kW. Norway is also the clear frontrunner when it comes to EVs, with 13,381 battery electric vehicles (BEVs) per 100,000 inhabitants (Iceland is second with 7,048). However, Belgium is also stepping up its e-mobility game: the country saw a 113 percent increase in BEVs last year, outpacing even Norway. The strides made by the Netherlands and Norway show that just like the chicken-egg conundrum, there is no one path to electric mobility. Whether increasing the number of charge points or the number of EVs first, the other must follow.
E-Mobility uptake in Europe's south yet to take off
Looking from top to bottom in the ranking, there is a clear divide between northern/western Europe and southern/eastern Europe. Eastern and southern Europe continue to lag when it comes to charging capacity. On the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal saw just a 12 percent increase in charge points in 2023, but sits in the middle of the pack in 13th place in terms of the share of BEVs in all new car sales (18 percent). Portugal ranks better than other southern countries across most metrics. Its neighbor, Spain, comes in at 18th and 19th for charge points (64) and capacity (1,965 kW) per 100,000 inhabitants and 22nd for BEVs per capita (372) out of the 32 European countries. With its 35 percent increase in charge points in 2023, the country provides a total of 30,385 public charge points which places it above the European median, indicating a potential turning point. Italy comes in at 17th for both charge points (70) and capacity (2,545 kW) per 100,000 inhabitants. However, its increase in capacity (+ 40 percent) outweighed its increase in charge points (+ 34 percent) in 2023, and the rise in DC chargers (+ 83 percent) far outstripped the increase in AC chargers (+ 28 percent), showing an increasing focus on fast charging. The reasons why the mobility transition lags behind in the south are manifold, likely due to: the fear of a loss in convenience or unreliable energy supply; price sensitivity due to the higher initial costs of e-mobility; a tendency to change vehicles only when necessary; and incentive programs that focus more on vehicles than on charging infrastructure. The answer to many of these obstacles lies in smart charging.
Future-proof solutions must meet the demand of today
“In e-mobility, it is not enough to look at solutions for the current demand. We need to look ahead and develop scalable and future-proof solutions today to meet the growing demand of tomorrow,” says Tobias Mitter, Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer at gridX. In the EU, around 0.24 kW of publicly accessible charging capacity is currently available per EV. The Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) stipulates that around 1.3 kW per EV should be available to cover the mobility needs of drivers. If the goal of 40 million EVs on EU roads by 2030 is reached, this means the growth in charging capacity would have to be more than five times as high as the increase in the number of EVs, resulting in a 46-fold increase in charging capacity between now and the end of the decade. To achieve this, around 270 MW of public charging capacity must be added per week, far above current levels. “Advanced energy management systems are indispensable to the mobility transition, as they enable a faster and more cost-effective expansion of EV charging infrastructure. Companies that start scaling intelligent charging strategies such as peak shaving and virtual capacity expansion today will lead the market tomorrow,” explains Mitter.
More details can be found at: EV Charging Report 2024
((Graphic: © gridX GmbH, Reprint free of charge; Image caption))
New EV Charging Report from gridX shows: the Nordics and Benelux play a decisive role in shaping progress in the mobility transition, while southern Europe still has to find its accelerator.
gridX is Europe's leading smart energy company based in Aachen and Munich. With its IoT platform XENON, gridX enables manufacturer-independent monitoring and management of distributed energy resources. XENON allows partners to develop and scale energy management solutions faster than ever before. By partnering with gridX, Fastned is able to install more charging points at sites without the need for costly grid extensions, and the Viessmann Group is able to offer its customers intelligent and integrated home energy management systems.
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