According to a report by Transport & Environment on Friday 7 September, the lack of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles is not the major obstacle to the rise in electrical vehicles in Europe. On the contrary, it is the lack of electric vehicles that appears to be the obstacle. The most recent data compiled by the NGO which promotes sustainable transport shows, in particular, that the charging points available are used for only 5% of the needs of electric vehicle users. Most recharging is done from the home or at the drivers’ place of work.
The report thus goes against popular misconception and one of the arguments put forward by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (EAMA) which doubts that the regulatory proposals on the table for promoting clean mobility are realistic, whether it is a matter of new CO2 emission standards from private cars and new vans post-2021 (see EUROPE 11990) or first standards proposed for heavy vehicles (see EUROPE 12086).
The director of the electric vehicle department with T&E, Greg Archer, comments “The car industry is creating a smoke screen by claiming that there are not sufficient recharging points on the major markets. The truth is that the chicken and egg dilemma is settled in northern and western Europe (11 countries of the EU) which account for three out of four of new electric vehicles sold. The first bottleneck in the rise in sales of electric vehicles is the lack of cars to be plugged in”.
The report nonetheless acknowledges that the visibility of public recharging points is a major psychological factor for encouraging drivers of combustion engine cars to take the step towards electric alternatives, especially those who do not have a garage or parking area.
In Norway, a country where the electric car market is flourishing more than anywhere else in the world, the share of drivers who daily depend on a public recharging point fell to 2% in 2017 compared with 10% in 2014. Rapid recharging along the main roads is the only method of recharging that has increased in the country. To consult the report, see https://bit.ly/2NqZ9t1 (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)