The charging infrastructure is not expanding fast enough in Europe to support sufficient growth of electric driving. LeasePlan believes that. The Netherlands is one of the front runners, but there are major differences within Europe.
LeasePlan states in its annual report – not for the first time – that the charging infrastructure in Europe is not growing fast enough for the company. Although steps have been taken in the construction of charging stations and other infrastructure, the pace at which improvements are being realized has slowed. Even in the best-performing countries, the charging infrastructure is still far from adequate, according to LeasePlan. Countries such as the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom are the furthest when it comes to electric driving, according to the company. The company previously investigated in 22 European countries to what extent they are ready for the transition to electric driving.
According to research by price comparator Pricewise, the number of electric cars in the Netherlands is growing faster than the number of charging points. On average, one pole is available for three cars. This makes the Netherlands a frontrunner when it comes to the availability of piles. There are currently around 185,000 electric or hybrid cars and nearly 63,000 public or semi-public charging stations in the Netherlands. According to the study, a quarter of all charging stations in Europe are in the Netherlands. In addition, many electric drivers have a charging station at home.
In addition to charging stations, LeasePlan is also looking at government regulations to make more electric driving possible and the number of registered vehicles. According to the study, almost all countries scored better than a year earlier, although there are large differences between Western and Eastern Europe.
Affordable
An important improvement, according to LeasePlan, is the affordability of electric cars. More and more are coming onto the market and the average price is falling. In eleven of the countries surveyed, electric models are already cheaper than their conventional counterparts in terms of total cost over the ownership period. In addition, electric drivers pay an average of 37 percent less taxes than the average car owner has to cough up. This advantage is greatest in Austria, Greece, Hungary, Ireland and Poland.