Written by Vasco Guedes Ferreira.
The transition to electric vehicles is well underway in the European Union, but ensuring sufficient charging infrastructure remains a challenge. To discuss how to accelerate the rollout of charging stations across Europe, STOA organised a workshop hosted by Ana Vasconcelos (Renew, Portugal), which brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and experts on 25 March 2025.
The EU has set ambitious climate goals that require a rapid expansion of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) establishes targets ensuring the charging network grows with demand and adoption. Despite significant progress – the number of charging points has tripled in three years – gaps and bottlenecks remain, particularly for heavy-duty vehicle charging and in rural areas.
The key challenges appear to be:
1. Grid connectivity: One of the biggest hurdles is securing fast and cost-effective grid connections. Charging stations require substantial electricity grid interconnection capacity, and long waiting times for grid access slow down deployment of charging stations.
2. Regulatory complexity and fragmentation: National variations in licensing for charging stations create inefficiencies. Experts emphasise the need for a more harmonised EU-wide approach to avoid market distortion, including when launching public tenders and concessions.
3. Infrastructure investment and profitability: The electric vehicle charging sector is still in its early investment phase and remains unprofitable. Investors need long-term policy stability to commit to funding more charging stations, as well as lower electricity costs.
Experts also mentioned the many opportunities to innovate and drive progress. Smart charging, artificial intelligence (AI), and digitalisation are transforming the sector. AI-powered grid optimisation can help manage demand, while megawatt charging systems (MCS) are essential for heavy-duty vehicles. Interoperability and the uptake of international standards will also boost cost-effective scaling; improving convenience and electric vehicle charging user experience.
What comes next?
To accelerate the rollout, stakeholders urged the EU to support Member States to:
- reduce grid connection delays and invest in anticipatory grid infrastructure;
- streamline licencing across Member States to avoid market fragmentation;
- support investment incentives, in particular for charging heavy-duty vehicles and in rural areas;
- promote innovation in AI-driven smart charging and grid optimisation.
The electric vehicle charging market is growing rapidly, but challenges remain. What do you think are the biggest obstacles to expanding electric vehicle infrastructure? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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