AFIR is here: A significant number of new EV chargers will be implemented across the EU
The European Union has officially adopted the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR).
This means that as early as spring 2024, we can expect a significantly larger number of charging stations across Europe, including Croatia. Work on this regulation began back in 2021, and the Croatian national association for e-mobility, known as “Strujni krug”, actively participated in its development.
The AFIR regulation sets binding national targets for EU member states, specifying the number of charging stations for electric and other alternative fuel vehicles, including high-capacity vehicles, that each member state should establish. These targets are divided into those based on the number of fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles and those that require the installation of charging stations along key transportation corridors.
The first part of the AFIR regulation requires EU member states to install charging stations with a power of 1.3 kW for every registered fully electric vehicle and 0.8 kW for every registered plug-in hybrid vehicle. At the end of each year, starting from the following year, these requirements must be met in accordance with the growth in the number of registered electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
“For instance, Croatia had approximately 5,850 registered fully electric vehicles and about 3,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles by mid-year. According to the current state, Croatia would need to install charging stations with a total power of 10,005 kW, which could mean, for example, the installation of 200 fast charging stations with a power of 50 kW or 100 ultra-fast charging stations with a power of 100 kW”, explained Hrvoje Prpić, the president of the national e-mobility association - Strujni krug.
Since the number of registered electric vehicles is increasing rapidly, thanks to this regulation, we can expect a growth in the number of charging stations in line with that. Only when an EU member state achieves a share of electric vehicles of 15 percent of the total registered vehicles can it request relief from these measures. Therefore, Croatia could consider such a request only when it has more than 270,000 electric vehicles registered.
Charging targets for personal EV’s
In addition to these goals, the AFIR regulation sets binding targets for the installation of charging stations on highways and roads connected to the TEN-T corridor, which is the European road network that links key points in Europe. The goal is to provide comprehensive charging coverage along the main transportation routes within the EU to facilitate electric vehicle travel.
For personal electric vehicles, the regulation sets targets that require, by the end of 2025, the presence of charging stations with a minimum power of 400 kW every 60 kilometers along the TEN-T corridor. This power can be distributed across multiple charging stations, but at least one of them must provide 150 kW.
By the end of 2027, EU member states must ensure that each stop has a minimum power of 600 kW and at least two charging stations with a power of 150 kW. Such charging stations enable fast charging of electric vehicles, with charging times of 15-20 minutes, promoting vehicle turnover at these stops every 5-10 minutes.
What is TEN-T corridor?
The TEN-T corridor in Croatia includes highways between Ljubljana and Zagreb, as well as Varaždin and Rijeka. AFIR's goal is to ensure that by the end of 2027, at least 50 percent of the roads connected to the TEN-T corridor are equipped with charging stations for personal electric vehicles, and by the end of 2030, all such roads should be equipped.
Charging targets for heavy EV’s like trucks and buses
For heavy electric vehicles, such as trucks and buses, AFIR requires that, by the end of 2025, at least 15 percent of the TEN-T corridor have stops with a minimum power of 1,400 kW, distributed across multiple charging stations, with at least one providing 350 kW.
By the end of 2027, half of the TEN-T corridor must be equipped with stops with a total power of 2,800 kW and at least two charging stations with a power of 350 kW.
Payment on charging stations
The regulation also mandates facilitating the payment for electric vehicle charging. All charging stations with a power greater than 50 kW installed after April of the next year must have card readers for payment or the option for contactless card payment. This will eliminate the need for numerous applications. Charging stations with a power of less than 50 kW will still allow charging via mobile applications or QR codes on the stations.
If you want to learn more about AFIR and all of its regulations, you can read about it in the official documents.
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