The European Parliament and the EU Council have struck a preliminary agreement on charging and hydrogen refueling stations across Europe. According to the regulation, there must be charging stations every 60 kilometers by 2026.
The 60km rule will be applied along the TEN-T network. The massive TEN-T project of the EU connects every region of the Old Continent with motorways, roads, ports, and railroads.
Each charging station must provide at least 400kW of charging power, and by 2028, it should be at 600kW. On the other hand, trucks and buses would have charging stations every 120km and would be on half of the main EU roads by 2028.The charging power varies between 1,400kW and 2,800kW. Islands and rural areas with few roads and little traffic are exempt, of course.
The Council and Parliament agreed to place a hydrogen station every 200 kilometers by 2031, but only along the core TEN-T network.
Operators of charging points and hydrogen stations must ensure complete price transparency, provide a common ad hoc payment method such as debit or credit card, and make relevant data, such as location data, available electronically.
Remember this is still a preliminary decision that must be approved by a committee comprised of all 27 EU member states as well as the Transport and Tourism Committee before the plan can be implemented.