New EU legislation for EV charging is 'the most significant yet'

New rules adopted by the Council of the EU could encourage the most significant changes in the fight to make EV charging on long journeys as easy as filling up a gasoline car.

The new regulation, which comes in force from 2025, requires fast charging stations to be placed every 60 km (37 miles) on the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T), The Verge reports.

The chargers will have to provide at least 150kW of power. However, chargers placed along the main TEN-T network will be pushed to provide at least 400kW of power by the end of 2025. By the end of 2027, the regulation will require 600kW chargers as well.

More significant, though, is that the chargers will need to support ad-hoc payments and costs will need to be clearly communicated to drivers. Hopefully, this means no more fumbling with RFID cards or multiple apps just to charge for 20 minutes.

Balraz Singh, TomTom's EV specialist, says the regulation, addressing some core pains of EV driving, is one of the most significant things to happen in the market to date.

"It'll encourage the rollout of costly-to-install fast charging, which is desperately needed across some parts of Europe, in particular the south," he says.

Adding, "Optimizing payment methods and allowing drivers to use credit and debit cards is crucial. Having to use many different RFID cards, issued by e-mobility service providers (eMSPs), and charging apps is one of the biggest pains for EV drivers."

This all sounds great, however, rollout won't be overnight. It's expected to take until 2030 for all roads on the TEN-T to meet the standard of fast-chargers every 60 km (37 miles), but it is a big step in the right direction.

Indeed, for electric vehicles to achieve mass adoption, whether passenger cars or commercial vehicles, charging infrastructure needs to improve. Not only do there need to be more chargers, more often, charging deserts in the Southern parts of Europe need addressing, as do payment options.

EV charging needs to be simple, easy and reliable. And paying for it needs to be just as clear, transparent and simple.

To read the full regulation, click here.