Croatia's EV charge network most developed among SEE countries in EU - ACEA

At 4.1%, Croatia's share of EV sales in the SEE region last year was second only to Greece, which had 6.9%, ACEA said in a data release citing figures on charging infrastructure from the European Alternative Fuels Observatory (EAFO).

However, Greece was one of six countries in the 27-member bloc which did not have a single charging point per 100 km of road.

With 7.3%, Romania was the SEE country with the highest market share of EV in total car sales in 2021, although it lagged behind Croatia, Slovenia and Bulgaria in terms of charge points available per 100 km of road, the data set showed.

By comparison, the Netherlands topped the list with one charge point for every 1.5 km of road, while Poland – a country eight times its size – had just one charger along every 150 km. Only five EU countries relied on more than 10 EV chargers for every 100 km of streets.

"Not only is there an insufficient number of electric charging points along the road networks in most EU countries, but the vast majority of these do not charge quickly enough," ACEA said. The majority of chargers have a capacity of 22kW or less.

The association went on to caution that gaps in charging network infrastructure could prejudice the uptake of electric cars -- both battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid EVs -- in EU markets. That uptake is a crucial element of the EU's revised goals to cut carbon emissions for new cars to 55% and to 50% for new vans by 2030.

"If we want to convince citizens all over Europe to switch to e-mobility in the coming decade, charging these cars should be as easy as refuelling is today," ACEA Director General, Sigrid de Vries, said in the statement.

The data was released a week ahead of a European Parliament (EP) vote on the EU's proposed Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), which seeks to establish targets for EV uptake, charge points and hydrogen stations in all 27 EU member states by 2030.

In June, EU ministers reached broad agreement on banning new fossil-fuel cars and vans by 2035.