Spontaneous charging - anywhere in the EU
AFIR - Ordinance on the development of infrastructure for alternative fuels
One of AFIR's aims is to create the conditions for the successful ramp-up of electromobility.
To this end, a publicly accessible charging network is to be established throughout the EU in accordance with compatible technical standards.
What is the AFIR and how does this regulation help to create a reliable charging infrastructure for all e-vehicles - from Lisbon to Bucharest and from Helsinki to Athens?
Here you will find an overview.
AFIR in brief
The AFIR brings ease of use for drivers and planning security for operators, electric mobility service providers, manufacturers and logistics companies:
- Since 31.12.2025: Charging locations for electric cars and light commercial vehicles every 60 km along the TEN-T core road network with at least 400 kW and at least one charging point with an individual charging capacity of at least 150 kW. By 31.12.2027: charging locations of at least 600 kW and at least two charging points of at least 150 kW.
- Until 31.12.2027: Charging locations for heavy commercial vehicles along 50% of the TEN-T core network with at least 2,800 kW and at least two charging points with an individual charging capacity of at least 350 kW. By 31.12.2030: Charging locations with at least 3,600 kW and at least two charging points with an individual charging capacity of at least 350 kW every 60 km along the TEN-T core network.
- Stock-based provision of charging capacity of 1.3 kW/BEV, or 0.8 kW/PHEV for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles
- Card payment (also deposited on mobile devices in accordance with PSD II) for charging processes at all charging stations with a charging capacity per charging point of 50 kW or higher - PIN pads are not mandatory. For charging stations below 50 kW per charging point, static QR codes are accepted as a payment option.
- Obligation for CPOs since 14.04.2025 to use static and dynamic POI-Data be made available on the National Access Point (NAP) free of charge and without discrimination
- Uniform Technical specifications for charging infrastructure throughout the internal market
Body targets for passenger cars, light and heavy commercial vehicles
What obligations do charging station operators (CPOs) have?
Operators or Charge Point Operators (CPO) of publicly accessible charging stations must ensure an interoperable and user-friendly charging infrastructure throughout the EU. They therefore have the following obligations:
- Easy accessibility and payment
- Digital data availability and transparency
- Continuous expansion of the charging infrastructure
- Barrier-free access and
- Grid friendliness for optimum grid load
The AFIR regulations for the charging infrastructure at a glance
At publicly accessible charging points that have been set up since 13.04.2024, ad hoc charging must be possible anywhere in the EU using a widely used payment instrument (physical or mobile credit or debit card). A payment terminal or payment device can serve several publicly accessible charging points within a charging location.
50 kW or higher charging power per charging point
Newly installed, publicly accessible charging points that are put into operation for the first time from 13.04.2024 must offer at least one of the following payment options at the charging stations
- Payment card reader
- Devices with a contactless function that can at least read payment cards.
Since payment cards according to the EU Payment Services Directive II do not have to be physical, but can also be mobile, there is generally no PIN pad requirement at charging stations.
From 01.01.2027, publicly accessible charging points with a charging capacity of 50 kW or more that were installed before 13.04.2024 must also offer one of the two above-mentioned devices for payment processes and, if necessary, be retrofitted.
Whether a PIN pad is required depends on the payment instrument used for the payment transaction and the strong customer authentication requirements that apply to that payment instrument - not on the payment device/terminal used.
Under 50 kW charging power per charging point
For newly installed publicly accessible charging points that are put into operation for the first time from 13.04.2024, solutions that use an Internet connection and enable a secure payment process can be used in addition to the above-mentioned payment options. This can be ensured via a static QR code, for example.
If the charging points have the option of automatic authentication (Article 5(2)), e.g. Plug&Charge or Autocharge, the operator must ensure that users can deselect this option in order to pay with a different means of payment. This switching option must be clearly displayed.
Pricing contract-based charging to ad hoc
- The operators of publicly accessible charging points may not discriminate between ad hoc and contract-based payment with a Mobility Service Provider (MSP) through the prices charged at B2C level.
- A differentiation of price levels is permitted in principle, but only if the differentiation is proportionate and objectively justified, i.e. if it is based on non-discriminatory criteria and is easy to compare.
- Justified price differentiation between the ad hoc price and the price charged to a mobility service provider could depend on the circumstances, e.g. bank or credit card fees for prices charged to users and administrative and transaction costs for prices charged to mobility service providers.
Pricing between CPO and MSP
- The operators of publicly accessible charging points may not discriminate between CPOs and different MSPs through the prices charged at B2B level.
- A differentiation of price levels may take place, but only if the differentiation is transparent, proportionate and objectively justified and is therefore based on non-discriminatory criteria.
- Justified price differences between different MSPs can be due to differing administrative and transaction costs, but also to commercial criteria such as the number of MSP customers.
CPOs publicly accessible charging points with a charging capacity of 50 kW or more display the ad hoc price per kWh at the charging stations. Furthermore, the CPO can charge usage fees as a price per minute to prevent the charging point from being occupied for long periods. This information should be known to customers before they initiate a charging process and make it easier to compare prices. The term „display“ means that the price must be visible at the charging station (e.g. on a screen or with a sticker).
CPOs publicly accessible charging points with a charging capacity of less than 50 kW are also obliged to make information on the ad hoc price with all its price components clearly and easily available at the charging stations they operate. The aim is to increase price transparency. Customers should know the price before initiating the charging process. Price comparisons are made easier. The applicable price components are to be presented in the following order:
- Price per kWh,
- Price per minute,
- Price per charging process and
- any other applicable price component.
The prices charged by MSPs to users must also be reasonable, transparent and non-discriminatory (Article 5(5)). To this end, they shall make all applicable price information specific to the charging process available through freely accessible and widely available electronic means before the start of the intended charging process. It shall be possible to clearly distinguish between all price components, including applicable e-roaming charges and other fees or charges levied by the MSP. These charges must be reasonable, transparent and non-discriminatory. MSPs may not levy additional charges for cross-border e-roaming.
Provision of data - Article 20
According to Article 20 AFIR, operators (CPOs) of publicly accessible charging points are already since April 14, 2025 obliged to provide static and dynamic data from their charging facilities free of charge and without discrimination and to transmit this data via a connected interface (API) to the National Access Point (in Germany: Die Mobilithek of the Federal Ministry of Transport).
From April 14, 2026 the static and dynamic data to be reported in accordance with Art. 20 AFIR must be provided in the standardized DATEX II format.
Operators in North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg receive special support for implementation:
The State agency for mobility data MOBIDROM and the MobiData BW® platform of the Nahverkehrsgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg (NVBW) support operators of public charging infrastructure in the provision of open mobility data and connection to the Mobilithek.
The MOBIDROM and MobiData® BW range includes:
- Acceptance of data in existing formats, in particular OCPI and DATEX II
- Conversion to the required DATEX II format and quality assurance
- Bundled provision to the Mobilithek
This offers further advantages for charging station operators:
- Increased visibility of the charging infrastructure via digital applications and data platforms
- Improved user-friendliness of the charging infrastructure
- Long-term support for sustainable mobility
The support and consulting services offered by MOBIDROM and MobiData BW® are available free of charge to all operators of publicly accessible charging stations in North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg. Take advantage of this offer and actively approach MOBIDROM or MobiDataBW® to provide your charging infrastructure data according to the requirements.
For North Rhine-Westphalia: MOBIDROM
Ms. Andrea Freitag, Partner Manager Charging Stations (Andrea.Freitag@mobidrom.nrw)
For Baden-Württemberg: MobiData BW®
Ms. Antje Falkinger, Partner Manager Team Mobility Data & Innovations (Antje.Falkinger@nvbw.de)