EV infrastructure a global issue

Key markets in the electric vehicle transition are falling behind in their stated goals for public charging infrastructure, according to the latest figures.

Data from Konnect, an EV charging provider, and fuel industry manufacturer Gilbarco Veeder-Root show that the U.S., Europe, and the U.K. are more than six times behind the number of charging ports needed to meet growing EV demand by 2030.

The U.S., the world’s second-largest EV market, currently has fewer than 200,000 publicly available charging ports, with more than one million more needed by 2030, representing a 550 per cent gap. Europe needs a 5.5-fold increase to the 630,000 public charge points currently available across the continent to meet European Commission 2030 targets. The U..K requires a near-350 per cent increase to scale its charge points by the end of the decade.

At current installation rates, these key EV markets will fail to adequately facilitate the EV transition. Europe, for example, is currently three times behind the annual installation rate needed to meet 2030 targets. This deficit in EV charging points represents a considerable opportunity for fuel retailers.

Konect and Gilbarco Veeder-Root observed that existing fuel retailers are in a prime position to plug the gap, thanks to their optimum blend of location and amenities.

“At current installation rates, key global EV markets won’t meet the public charging infrastructure needed to meet growing EV demand,” said Om Shankar, vice president and general manager of Konect. “We know that most EV drivers currently plug in at home, but there’s a second cohort of buyers, beyond the early adopters, that don’t have the same facilities.”

More people will make the switch to EVs as technology improves, costs go down and range increases, so infrastructure needs to keep in line with progress and demand for available public charging.

“We need some logical thinking on the placement of new charge points — ideally, locations that are already familiar and convenient for car drivers. That’s the golden opportunity for the existing fuel retail network,” Shankar observed.

Image credit: Depositphotos.com

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