Tzitzikostas emphasised the need to accelerate the rollout of charging infrastructure to overcome range anxiety.
"The Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation already sets minimum targets to ensure we have the recharging and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, necessary for our rapidly growing zero-emission vehicle fleet," he said. "And although we are seeing progress, more needs to be done when it comes to public charging in the urban environment."
Tzitzikostas says the infrastructure dedicated to trucks and buses does not match the needs and expectations of the sector: "So, here we need to see how to speed up the urgent deployment. In fact, the major obstacle in Europe is related to the availability of grid infrastructure."
He added that, in some countries, the waiting time to connect the charging stations to the grid can go up to three years, and in other countries there is no additional capacity available. Tzitzikostas says that of this obstacle remains unresolved, there is a significant risk that the transition to EVs may falter. To address this challenge, the Commission is working to improve transparency in electricity grid capacities and accelerate connection procedures.
"Financial support for the rollout of charging infrastructure also remains crucial," Tzitzikostas says. "To this end, we have established the European funding instrument known as the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility. This initiative has attracted significant interest from commercial entities eager to invest in a robust recharging network across the continent.
"We anticipate that nearly 1 billion euros in funding will be made available specifically for recharging infrastructure dedicated to trucks and buses.
"This builds on the 1.2 billion euros already allocated to recharging infrastructure over the past three years."
