Charging infrastructure in the EU context

 5 Charging infrastructure in the EU context

In order to achieve climate neutrality in the EU by 2050, the transport sector is focusing on electrification.To successfully ramp up battery-electric mobility, recharging options should be available throughout the EU for all users of battery-electric vehicles.

AFIR – in brief

By 31 December 2025: Charging points for electric cars and light commercial vehicles with at least 400 kW and at least one charging point with an individual charging capacity of at least 150 kW every 60 km along the TEN-T core road network. By 31 December 2027: Charging locations with at least 600 kW and at least two charging points with at least 150 kW.
By 31 December 2027: Charging locations for heavy commercial vehicles with at least 2,800 kW and at least two charging points with an individual charging capacity of at least 350 kW along 50% of the TEN-T core network. By 31 December 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.
Inventory-based targets of 1.3 kW/BEV or 0.8 kW/PHEV for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles
Card payment (including mobile payment in accordance with PSD II) for charging at all charging stations with a charging capacity of 50 kW or higher per charging point – PIN pads are not mandatory. For charging stations with less than 50 kW per charging point, static QR codes are accepted as a payment option.
Obligation for CPOs from 14 April 2025 to make static and dynamic data available free of charge on the National Access Point (NAP)
Common technical specifications for charging infrastructure across the entire single market

The Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 (AFIR) – part of the EU’s ‘Fit for 55’ legislative package – sets out harmonised targets to accelerate the roll-out of infrastructure in the coming years. To this end, Member States are obliged to ensure a minimum coverage with publicly accessible recharging points for passenger cars, light and heavy commercial vehicles. The aim is to make the recharging infrastructure user-friendly everywhere in the EU so that charging of battery-electric vehicles is possible flexibly and spontaneously.

To achieve this goal, AFIR introduces a number of innovations that will fundamentally improve the user journey. AFIR also influences the business models of CPOs and EMSPs. Common standards create interoperability and will significantly advance the electric mobility ecosystem.

AFIR supercedes its predecessor AFID (Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive). On behalf of the German Ministry for Transport (BMV), the National Centre for Charging Infrastructure has accompanied the negotiation process and advised the relevant departments. Through the tenders and funding programmes it oversees, it is making a significant contribution to achieving this goal. Furthermore, the coordination body remains responsible for monitoring obligations towards the EU Commission.

A first step towards national implementation is to record the status quo in the National Strategy Framework. This defines specific individual measures for achieving the targets. The final version is to be submitted to the EU Commission for publication by 31 December 2025.

Targets for cars and light commercial battery-electric vehicles

Deployment targets for heavy-duty commercial battery-electric vehicles

CPO obligations for publicly accessible infrastructure

P733 24.036 AFIR_Zeistrahlen_ENG_07jw_CPO

Further regulations

Payment options – Art. 5 (1) and (2)

Ad hoc charging must be enabled at publicly accessible charging points installed from 13 April 2024 onwards using a widely available payment instrument (physical or mobile credit or debit card) anywhere in the EU. A payment terminal or payment facility may serve a number of publicly accessible charging points within a charging location.

50 kW or higher power output per charging point

Newly built publicly accessible charging points that are put into operation for the first time after 13 April 2024 must offer at least one of the following payment options at the charging stations:

Payment card reader
Devices with a contactless functionality that can at least read payment cards.

Since payment cards do not have to be physical according to the EU Payment Services Directive II, but can also be stored on mobile devices, there is generally no PIN pad requirement at charging stations.

From 1 January 2027, publicly accessible charging points with a charging capacity of 50 kW or more that were installed before 13 April 2024 must also accept one of the two above-mentioned devices for payment transactions and be retrofitted if necessary. This applies to all charging points installed along the TEN-T road network or in a safe and secure car park.

Whether a PIN pad is required depends on the payment instrument used for the payment transaction and the requirements for strong customer authentication that apply to that payment instrument – not on the payment device/terminal used.

Less than 50 kW charging power per charging point

For newly installed publicly accessible charging points that are put into service for the first time on or after 13 April 2024, solutions that use an internet connection and enable secure payment transactions may be used in addition to the above-mentioned payment options. This can be ensured by means of a static QR code, among other things.

If the charging points offer some form 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 another means of payment. This option must be clearly indicated.

Pricing – Art. 5 (3)

Pricing for contract-based charging vs ad hoc charging

Operators of publicly accessible charging points may not discriminate between ad hoc payments and payments contracted with a mobility service provider (MSP) through the prices charged at the B2C level.
However, price differentiation is permitted, provided that the differentiation is proportionate and objectively justified, based on non-discriminatory criteria and easily comparable.
Justified price differentiation between the ad hoc price and the price charged to a mobility service provider could depend on 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

Operators of publicly accessible charging points must not discriminate between CPOs and different MSPs through the prices charged at B2B level.
Differentiation in 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 may be based on differing administrative and transaction costs, but also on commercial criteria such as the number of MSP customers.

Price transparency – Art. 5 (4)

CPOs of publicly accessible charging points with a charging capacity of 50 kW or more shall display the ad hoc price per kWh at the charging stations. Furthermore, the CPO may charge usage fees as a price per minute to prevent long-term occupation of the charging point. This information shall be available to customers before they start charging and shall facilitate price comparison. The term ‘display’ means that the price must be visible at the charging station (e.g. on a screen or with a sticker).

CPOs of publicly accessible charging points with a charging capacity of less than 50 kW are also required to provide clear and easily accessible information about the ad hoc price, including all price components, at the charging stations they operate. The aim is to increase price transparency. Customers should be aware of the price before starting the charging process, and price comparisons should be made more easy. The applicable price components must be displayed in the following order:

Price per kWh
Price per minute
Price per charging session
Any other applicable price components

The prices charged by MSPs to users must also be reasonable, transparent and non-discriminatory (Article 5(5)). This means theymust make all applicable price information specific to the intended charging process available through freely accessible, widely used electronic means before the start of the intended charging process. It must be possible to clearly distinguish between all price components, including applicable e-roaming costs and other fees or charges levied by the MSP. These fees must be reasonable, transparent and non-discriminatory. MSPs may not levy additional charges for cross-border e-roaming.

Static and dynamic data/data provision

According to Article 20 of the AFIR Regulation, operators of publicly accessible charging points (CPOs) must make static and dynamic data on their charging facilities available free of charge and without discrimination since 14 April 2025. Currently, only a few CPOs have provided data within the meaning of Article 20(2) AFIR. However, the scope will increase significantly over time as more CPOs implement their interfaces in DATEX II format.

As a member state, Germany has fulfilled its obligation under Article 20(4) AFIR and has made it possible for data reported by CPOs or connected interfaces to also be made publicly available. The interfaces (APIs) to static and dynamic data already provided by the CPOs can be found in the BMV’s Mobilithek database.

With regard to the technical provision of data, the European Commission adopted specifications and procedures for the availability and accessibility of data on 2 April 2025 by means of an implementing act. This stipulates that operators of publicly accessible charging points must make the data specified in Article 20(2) of the AFIR available by 14 April 2025, but only in the DATEX II standard from 14 April 2026. In the interests of avoiding conversion costs and ensuring uniform usability, CPOs are encouraged to make their data available directly in the DATEX II data model on Mobilithek as soon as possible.

As the National Centre for Charging Infrastructure, we are working on behalf of the BMV to facilitate and accelerate the technical process of data provision for all parties involved through appropriate coordination activities and knowledge transfer. To this end, an online information event on the topic of ‘Data provision by operators of publicly accessible charging infrastructure in the DATEX II standard’ was held on 6 March 2025 in conjunction with the BMV and the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt – Bundesanstalt für Straßen- und Verkehrswesen):