According to a report published by Bloomberg on Tuesday, the European Parliament and member states reached an agreement on Monday to introduce electric and hydrogen charging points across the region over the next couple of years.
This will result in an EV charging station every 37 miles (60 kilometers) and special stations for trucks every 77 miles (120 kilometers). The aim is to achieve half of these targets by 2028, with hydrogen refueling stations also set to be available by 2031.
“The agreement will send a clear signal to citizens and other stakeholders that user-friendly recharging infrastructure and refueling stations for alternative fuels, such as hydrogen, will be installed throughout the EU,” Andreas Carlson, the Swedish minister for infrastructure and housing, said in a European Union (EU) statement.
This week also saw a significant agreement to ensure that all new cars sold in the EU are emissions-free by 2035. The European Commission reports that passenger vehicles and vans currently account for around 12 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively, of all CO2 emissions in the EU. Since CO2 is the primary greenhouse gas, this move is crucial in reducing emissions.
The United Nations issued a warning earlier this month that the goal of limiting the increase in global temperatures to 1.5C would likely be missed without further action. This was a decisive factor in the introduction of these new quotas. As per the new regulations, all new automobiles sold in the EU must emit no CO2 by 2035, and their CO2 emissions must be 55 percent lower than in 2021 by 2030.
In addition, the new charging station deal hopes to tackle the lack of charging infrastructure that is seen as one of the main drivers holding back the EV transition.
The new rules will “ensure that driving and charging a new generation car is as simple and convenient as one that depends on petrol,” said Ismail Ertug, the lawmaker in charge of the new landmark deal. “We have to decarbonize the transport sector, which is still responsible for a huge bulk of emissions.”
According to Bloomberg, the EU as well has ambitious plans to ensure that 90 percent of heavy-duty vehicles have zero emissions by 2040.