Electric cars: the EU’s breakthrough – charging points every 60 kilometres and contactless payments
The European Union tightens the rules on electric vehicle charging: charging points must be provided every 60 kilometres, transparent rates per kWh, and no more compulsory apps for payment.
Driving an electric car in Europe is really set to become easier – or at least, that is the promise coming from Brussels. With the new AFIR regulation, the European Union has in fact adopted a series of stringent rules designed to break down the bureaucratic barriers, the fragmentation of services and the technical complications that have so far made public charging a veritable obstacle course for everyday drivers.
The most significant development is the coverage: along the main European road sections of the TEN-T network, each country will be required to install fast-charging stations no more than 60 kilometres apart. This is a key measure aimed at putting an end once and for all to so-called ‘range anxiety’.
But the most noticeable change concerns payments. Electric car drivers will no longer have to waste time downloading dedicated apps, creating accounts or taking out temporary subscriptions tied to a single operator. Charging points installed from 13 April 2024 onwards must offer maximum freedom of access, allowing for immediate and secure payment via standard credit cards, contactless systems or quick digital solutions such as QR codes.
There is also a radical change in terms of pricing and the clarity of the offering, putting an end to tariffs that are often difficult to understand. Operators are required to display transparent and comparable costs, based on actual consumption per kilowatt-hour for the most powerful charging points, effective from 13 April 2024. Completing the picture is the requirement for 24-hour digital connectivity for all charging points, enabling on-board systems to monitor in real time the actual availability and operational status of charging points along the route.
