EV charging implementation

How is the shift to more EV uptake supported by the implementation of EV charging stations?

The implementation of the stations requires a four-tiered governance approach:

If charging infrastructure is retrofitted after a building has been built, the installation of private charging points, particularly in apartment car parks, can be a costly and complicated process.

Additionally, for vehicles in continuous operation such as taxis, Ubers, car share and hire cars – the typically longer process of charging an EV vehicle as opposed to refuelling its ICEV equivalent, can be a barrier to uptake.

Now we’ll look at the approaches various governments have adopted to incentivise the private and commercial uptake of electric vehicles.

EV charging incentives are available to install charging stations across Europe. Image by Myrtle Beach the Digitel, CC license on Flickr

EV charging incentives for residential properties

Across Europe there are many EV charging incentives available to motivate private citizens to install charging stations at their home, as well as owners and tenants of multi-unit buildings. These benefits vary widely across Europe. Below are a few examples.

Spain

Residents can apply for a grant which covers up to 70% of installation costs to inhabitants of municipalities with more than 5,000 inhabitants and up to 80% if the municipality has less than 5,000 inhabitants.

Finland

Residents can receive a refund of up to 35% of the total purchasing and installation costs of private use charging infrastructure.

EV charging incentives for large scale enterprises

Spain

The Spanish government funds up to 30% of costs for charging infrastructure up to 50 kilowatts. For small companies beneath this figure up to 55% of the costs are funded.

Finland

A refund of up to 35% is available for the purchasing and installation costs. This increases to 50% if at least half of the stations offer 11 kilowatts of power or more.

Challenges for integration

Other factors involved in the installation process add complexity. Approval must be obtained from grid providers before EV charging infrastructure can proceed. Building by-laws and contracts need to be prepared. Insurance for the infrastructure must be factored in and all extra expenses are passed on to the property owners and/or rental tenants.

There are additional factors that need to be considered in relation to the building infrastructure. For new buildings, EV facilities may enhance amenity and increase building/apartment value. But, in the case of older buildings, installing charging stations may be costly and decrease value, especially if the charging stations impact on the building’s insurance costings.

We’ll return to the issue of retrofitting existing buildings and infrastructures in step 1.10. For now, we’ll examine some of the challenges for local integration of EV infrastructure.

Further resources

If you would like to explore some of the concepts we have covered in more detail, the following resources are optional.