Brussels, 26/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - As part of a European clean fuel strategy, the European Parliament recommends a binding number of recharge points by 2020, but has slashed national quotas by a half. This is the negotiating mandate for EP rapporteur Carlo Fidanza (EPP, Italy) endorsed by the European Parliament's transport committee by 30 to 7 on 26 November with a view to reaching agreement with the Council of Ministers on charging infrastructure for alternative fuels.
The European strategy unveiled by the Commission aims to stimulate the consumer market to get more people using electric, hydrogen or gas-fired cars rather than petrol and diesel. To this end, member states need to develop sufficient infrastructure by 2020 by linking up top-up and charging points in their own countries. The EP has made the quotas of charging points legally binding.
For electric cars, the EP reduced the top-up points by a half, only keeping the public charging points and dropping the private ones. For example, between 70 and 80 charging points are to be provided in Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, a dozen each in Romania, Austria and the Netherlands. Sparsely populated or remote regions will be exempt from the requirements, explained Fidanza. The Germany model (type 2) of charging points has been chosen, despite French criticism (the French model was rejected). As a compromise, the EP says that different connectors can be used on type 2 recharge points.
Charging points for hydrogen cars should be available every 300 km in the EU. Charging points for liquefied natural gas (LNG) should be provided for lorries at every 400 km along nine trans-European transport networks (TEN-T). For shipping and ferries, compressed natural gas will be provided with charging points every 100 km in TEN-T ports, it will be for the member states to decide. The EP says there must be technological neutrality, because technology changes faster than decision-making, explained the rapporteur. Other types of renewable energy are not mentioned, despite pressure from some MEPs. The tricky aspect is how all this is to be financed, and the EP suggests that the EU structural funds could be used. Fidanza is confident that agreement can be reached with the Council of Minsters before the European elections under his current negotiating mandate, as long as the stuffing isn't knocked out of the directive. He says this means that the measure must remain binding, although the EP might be flexible over timing and the distances between charging stations, which might differ, for example, for different types of fuel. (MD/transl.fl)