EV charging infrastructure in EU grows by 20%, data shows

Charging points for electric vehicles in Europe has grown by 20% between 2016 and 2017, with Germany showing the largest increase. 

The 2.7 million individual charging sessions in 2016 grew to 3.3 million in 2017, indicating an increase in public usage of EV.

NewMotion’s research showed that Germany had major growth. In 2016, just under 20,000 public charging sessions were completed by EV drivers in the country using NewMotion charge cards.

In 2017, that figure more than quadrupled to almost 90,000 charging sessions completed, representing a massive increase of 356%.

The Netherlands, observed upward growth of 17% in 2017 compared to 2016, achieving a total of 3.2 million individual charging sessions nationally.

The UK’s EV community, comprised of more than 140,000 vehicles on the road, benefitted from the installation of 2,833 new public EV charge points in 2017, as well as commitment of £400 million by the Chancellor to boost the implementation of a national charging network.

Anticipated growth for 2018 is even higher due to capital injection.

NewMotion’s chief executive Sytse Zuidema said: “We’ve collated data from our public charge network in Europe and it’s very encouraging to see an uptake in the number of charging sessions.

“It’s a clear indication of consumers continuing to switch from traditional, carbon-based vehicles to electric.

“Being the leading EV charging solutions provider in Europe, we’re proud to give EV drivers access to a connected network of public charge points, currently available in 25 countries globally, with further expansion expected in 2018.”