On Monday 11 April, the EU Member States discussed the French EU Council Presidency’s (FPEU) compromise proposal on the deployment of alternative fuel infrastructure (AFIR) in a working group meeting (see EUROPE 12910/18).
Apart from some minor definitional clarifications, the document focuses on the deployment of vehicle charging infrastructure within the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).
In this respect, the text specifies certain deadlines. While there is no change for light vehicles, Member States should ensure that by 31 December 2025, a part of the TEN - the extent of which has yet to be specified - is equipped with recharging facilities with a total capacity of at least 1400 kW for heavy duty vehicles (HDV). At a minimum, one terminal should deliver 350 kW or more.
By 31 December 2027, the scope of coverage would be extended. The HDV charging stations should provide cumulative power of at least 2800 kW on the central TEN-T, and at least two charging stations should have minimum power of 350 kW. On the overall TEN-T, the bar would remain at 1400 kW cumulative, with a 350 kW terminal.
By 31 December 2030, the central TEN-T should be fully covered, and stations should be no more than 60 km apart. The total capacity of the pools should be at least 3500 kW. By the same date, the distance between stations in the overall TEN-T may not exceed 100 km.
Derogations possible on less travelled sections
These pools should be deployed in both directions. However, the compromise document states, Member States would have the option, by way of derogation, to request the installation of only one charging station, accessible in both directions, for sections where the daily traffic is less than 10,000 light vehicles and “where the infrastructure cannot be justified in terms of socioeconomic costs and benefits”. These derogations should be reviewed by the European Commission every 2 years.
Member States could do the same for sections where heavy duty vehicle traffic is reduced. Two minimum thresholds are put forward by the FPEU: either 800 vehicles or 2,000.
Both options are also on the table for heavy goods vehicles. Here, Member States would have the option to reduce the total power of a pool dedicated to heavy goods vehicles by up to 50%.
Member States should, by 30 June 2024 and periodically every 4 years (compared to 3 years in the original proposal), assess how the deployment and operation of charging points could “enable electric vehicles to make a greater contribution to the flexibility of the energy system, including their participation in the balancing market, and to the further absorption of renewable electricity”.
National progress reports every 2 years
Regarding alternative fuels in the maritime and inland waterway sector (see EUROPE 12932/5), the compromise document assumes that the central TEN-T ports as well as the secondary ports should be able to deliver electricity to at least 90% of the freight and passenger ships calling. Only ships over 5,000 tonnes and ports receiving at least 50 cargo ships - or 40 passenger ships - would be affected by the text.
On the last part, aiming at the deployment of alternative energy supply infrastructure in the aviation sector (see EUROPE 12925/26), the FPEU has only made some minor and essentially semantic changes in this version of the text.
In addition, the compromise document provides that Member States shall submit to the European Commission a national report on the implementation of their policy framework for the first time on 1 January 2027. Reports should then be produced every two years, whereas previously a three-year period was suggested.
The European Commission, for its part, should adopt, upstream, guidelines and templates for “the content, structure and format of the national policy frameworks and the content of the national progress reports” to be submitted by Member States.
See the compromise document: https://aeur.eu/f/19r (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)