By 2030, the EU will Require 8.8 Million Public Charging Stations.

The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) recently released a report showing that in 2023, the EU added over 150,000 new public charging points for electric vehicles, bringing the cumulative total to more than 630,000. ACEA forecasts that by 2030, the EU will require 8.8 million public charging points to meet consumer demand—equivalent to adding 1.2 million annually, which is eight times last year’s installation volume.

“In recent years, charging infrastructure development has lagged behind pure electric vehicle sales, which is a major concern for us,” said Sigrid de Vries, ACEA’s Director General. More critically, the shortage of charging infrastructure may widen further in the future, potentially far exceeding the European Commission’s estimates.

According to Reuters, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) recently released a report showing that in 2023, the EU added over 150,000 new public charging points for electric vehicles, bringing the cumulative total to more than 630,000.

The European Commission stated that achieving the 2030 target of 3.5 million public charging points requires adding approximately 410,000 new points annually. However, ACEA warned that consumer demand for public charging points has rapidly outpaced this target: “Between 2017 and 2023, the growth rate of electric vehicle sales in the EU was three times faster than the installation rate of charging points.”

Furthermore, public charging infrastructure distribution remains uneven across the EU. The report indicates that nearly two-thirds of EU charging points are concentrated in Germany, France, and the Netherlands. ACEA highlighted a correlation between robust charging infrastructure and new EV sales, noting that Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Italy rank among the EU’s top five in both EV sales and charging point installations.

“In recent years, charging infrastructure development has lagged behind pure electric vehicle sales, which is a significant concern for us,” said Sigrid de Vries, ACEA’s Director General. More critically, the shortage of charging infrastructure may widen further in the future, potentially far exceeding the European Commission’s estimates.

ACEA projects that by 2030, the EU will require 8.8 million public charging points to meet consumer demand—equivalent to adding 1.2 million annually, eight times last year’s installation rate.

“To bridge the gap between infrastructure development and electric vehicle adoption for achieving Europe’s ambitious CO₂ reduction targets, we must accelerate investment in public charging infrastructure,” de Vries added.