59,230 – Number of ultra-fast chargers in Europe as of September 2023.
267,000 – The number of ultra-fast chargers the company has installed or announced.
2 billion euros – the amount of funds the German government has used to build the German Network (Deutschlandnetz).
European companies have installed or announced plans to install more than 250,000 ultra-fast chargers along Europe’s highways, and government funding totaling $2.5 billion has boosted competition but has not stopped legal disputes over how the funds are allocated.
The European market has seen explosive growth and now has 59,230 ultra-fast charging stations, up from less than 10,000 at the beginning of 2021. If all announced targets are achieved, there will be 267,000 ultra-fast charging piles in Europe by 2030, compared with the reporter’s prediction of 371,000.
The EU’s Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) has allocated €572 million to build 22,000 ultra-fast charging points across Europe. Germany has already surpassed this level, allocating about 2 billion euros to add 8,000 ultra-fast charging piles to build the so-called German Network (Deutschlandnetz).
German and European funds have different terms of agreement. Projects that receive CEF grants receive a fixed unit cost for each charging pile installed, while the German network covers construction costs while providing a 12-year operation and maintenance contract. However, the German government will recoup some of the funds through revenue sharing provisions.
Tesla was the biggest winner of CEF funding, receiving 26% of the total, while Norwegian operator Eviny was the biggest winner of the German grant. A total of 40 operators won the bid for the two funds, and the competition was fierce. Oil and gas companies have won less than a quarter of overall funding, and other industries are moving in, posing a long-term business threat to the former.
The EU needs more funding, and under the newly approved Renewable Energy Directive (RED) III, more new funding will come mainly from the carbon credit market and new concessions in motorway service areas. Fastned estimates there could be as many as 4,000 service areas open for concessions across Europe.
There are competition concerns over the allocation of tenders. Tesla and Fastned are suing the German government for expanding Tank & Rast’s current concession on Germany’s Autobahn to include charging new energy vehicles. The two companies believe a separate tender document should be issued. Meanwhile, the UK’s £950m Rapid Charge Fund has yet to launch, three years after it was announced. The Competition and Markets Authority has raised concerns that the fund could distort competition.
Susie
Sichuan Green Science & Technology Ltd., Co.
0086 19302815938
Post time: Dec-10-2023
