By Anna Stürgkh, MEP (Austria RENEW), ITRE Committee
Europe stands at a crossroads. The next decade will determine whether we can turn our ambitious climate and mobility goals into a tangible reality. Without modern, resilient, and interconnected infrastructure, Europe’s green mobility revolution will stall before it starts. To date, our Union is facing major challenges that hinder the widespread adoption of electrified mobility.
The electromobility’s upcoming challenges
Limited grid capacity
The electrification of transport is not just about putting more electric vehicles on the road – it is about ensuring the grid can support them. Expanding the charging infrastructure puts additional strain on existing electricity grids, particularly the distribution grid at low and medium voltage levels, where electric cars are usually charged. This creates new peak loads, which occur when many vehicles charge simultaneously. Most of Europe’s electricity grids were not designed for this type of load but rather for a 20th-century fossil-fuel economy, and therefore urgently need to be modernised to handle the demands of an electrified future. Without expansion and intelligent control, there is a risk of grid bottlenecks and higher costs for consumers and businesses alike. Meeting these infrastructure demands by 2035 will require over €80 billion in investment (roughly €50 billion for private chargers and €30 billion for public ones). Yet expansion is hindered by substantial financial risks for operators, stemming from uncertain early-market returns and high installation costs.
Insufficient charging point density within and across Member States
Although Europe has made great progress, the expansion of charging points is lagging behind its own targets. For example, the EU will reportedly need 3.5 million charging points by 2030 – several hundred thousand per year – which, based on current trends, will be difficult to achieve. Many regions, especially rural ones, have few or no public charging points. Furthermore, while some countries lead in infrastructure development, many Member States fall behind. Almost half of all public charging points are located in the Netherlands, France and Germany, although these three countries make up just 20% of the EU’s total area. Consequently, without a widespread and reliable charging infrastructure, acceptance of electric mobility will remain low. High-power DC charger deployment is time-consuming, driven by prolonged permitting and approval procedures. Such bureaucratic inefficiencies significantly delay EV infrastructure and battery manufacturing projects, slowing the adoption of electrified mobility across Europe. Equally important are permitting procedures for the required electricity grid and grid connections themselves. These two issues have been addressed in the recent Commission’s Grids Package.
Consequences for Europe’s competitiveness
The risk of falling far behind China and the US is clear. China has an early lead in charging infrastructure, integrated grid and charging planning. Industry experts are warning that Europe will lose market share in electric trucks and other sectors if it does not invest quickly in infrastructure and networks. In addition to this, Europe’s heavy dependence on imports of battery cells and raw materials, e.g. lithium, as well as the significant permitting delay of domestic mining projects, increases costs and lead times.
Political Leadership
We must follow a proactive, forward-looking approach. This means prioritising projects that enhance cross-border connectivity, support renewable energy integration, and empower citizens and SMEs to participate in the transport transition. Europe needs to plan more jointly and have fewer national silos. Our previous focus on individual national projects has slowed us down. Currently, we are missing half of the cross-border power lines required for a secure, affordable and environmentally friendly energy supply. The Commission has just proposed a revised governance structure under the TEN-E regulation, which aims to address grid bottlenecks and missing cross-border connections. It is to be seen whether we manage to go further down this road or whether we fall back on national grid developments.
Furthermore, it is critical to reduce dependency on China for raw materials, accelerate domestic mining projects and invest in battery-recycling infrastructure. Ultimately, this will help Europe build a more sustainable, self-sufficient battery supply chain.
Finally, political goals must not be constantly watered down – this makes planning difficult. It is not helpful to backtrack on the phase-out of combustion engines, as this undermines investment decisions.
Turning Ambition into Action
The next decade will be defined by our ability to deliver. What we need now is political will, administrative agility, and a shared commitment to making the transport transition a reality.
For the upcoming negotiations, we must be wary of falling back into old patterns. If we continue as before, it will cost us valuable years and billions. In order to unlock the full potential of renewable energy and electric mobility, there is a need for binding targets, streamlined permitting processes, and coordinated planning across Member States. Those who think only nationally are building walls where bridges are needed.
