The Future Standard of Electric Vehicles: Charging Infrastructures
26 June 2020Currently, there are about 1.2 billion cars that are actively used or parked somewhere. 8.5 million of these cars are electric vehicles and make up 0.7% of the total.
The number of EVs on the roads is estimated to increase to 116 million by 2030, which means it will be a fleet 13 times larger than the current one. In this new world, EVs will dominate. In order to serve this new landscape, the current scale of the EV charging infrastructure needs to increase significantly.
The Role of Charging Infrastructure in EV
Ideally, your garage should have a charging station, but what if you park on the street? Or don’t you want to charge your car over the full charge capacity of your car battery while shopping or on a long journey?
Having an EV charging network in every country plays a key role in successfully motivating citizens to buy an electric car. Number of available stations, location of stations, fast charging capabilities, etc. In order to adapt to this new reality, each region has variables that need improvement.
Norway is the world leader in EV owners, over 33% of new car registrations in 2019 are powered. Although Norway has many reasons to be a world leader, the current EV charging infrastructure is an important factor.
Existing Worldwide EV Charging Network
Let’s compare what the EV charging network looks like in several regions by comparing the numbers above for the general charging points per million population. We will also look at what percentage of these are fast charging stations.
In terms of charge points per population, the Netherlands is on the list, with Norway and Switzerland sharing the top 3. However, if we look at what percentage of these stations are “fast charging” stations, the Top 3 are listed as follows: England, Finland and then Japan.
Surprisingly, Norway, leading the world in EV ownership, also has one of the lowest percentages of fast charging stations.
It means that if you offer conveniently located public EV charging stations, you may not need to focus on fast charging.
Developments in Charge Infrastructures Begin
There is no doubt that a good public EV charging network is the most important element that motivates people to buy an electric car. While the charging network appears to be missing in most countries, most governments plan to expand and develop their networks. Sustainability and Clean Energy are not important issues immediately, as climate change is becoming a bigger threat every day and it will continue to be a priority in the future. Countries need to adapt to the future and invest in more sustainable modes of transport. Mass incentives for EV cars are of course an option, but a solid EV charging infrastructure is needed to succeed.
Many countries already have these developments in their future planning strategies. For example, Germany plans to offer 1 Million charging points by 2030. Along with innovations in EV charging, plans to offer more charge capacity in different regions are also promising in this area.
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