Today MEPs voted for electric vehicle charging points to be required in all new non-residential buildings. As they are more frequented than private buildings, large non-residential buildings ensure high visibility for and intensive use of EV charging points, the Platform for Electro-Mobility [1] said, welcoming the European Parliament industry committee’s decision.

Requiring EV charging points in non-residential buildings [2] under a revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is in line with the European Commission’s own proposal and the position of EU governments. The full European Parliament will vote on its final position in December.

On behalf of the Platform for Electro-Mobility, Teodora Serafimova of Bellona Europa said: “MEPs rightly see the need to make charging points obligatory in non-residential buildings. Larger office buildings and commercial centers often provide parking spaces that are not limited to a single employee or customer, and so ensure greater visibility and maximum use of the charging points.”

MEPs also proposed the simplification of permitting and approval procedures for new charging points in existing buildings which, of course, are the vast majority of Europe’s building stock. It means no tenant or co-owner should be stopped from installing an EV charging point, unless there is a material reason for this.

Teodora Serafimova concluded: “The European Parliament’s support for ‘right to the plug’ is key. Granting European citizens the right to install a charging point, without significant administrative hurdles, is essential to encouraging consumers to go for the electric option.”

However, MEPs deleted important provisions on charging points’ ‘smartness’, which would allow charging to start and stop in reaction to price signals. Also, they failed to address interoperability issues by not stating that any installed charging point should be compliant with EU charging connector standards under the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive. Meanwhile, the committee only supported mandatory pre-tubing in one out of 10 parking spaces in new or refurbished non-residential buildings with more than 10 parking spaces.

The Platform for Electro-Mobility welcomed clarity from MEPs on provisions for buildings of mixed-use; the committee demanded the same provisions as apply to non-residential buildings. Finally, the inclusion of pre-equipment provisions for public parking lots, which is crucial in light of growing numbers of EU cities planning to phase out conventionally fueled vehicles, was also welcomed.

Note to editors:

[1] The Platform for Electro-Mobility is an alliance of organisations from across industries and transport modes representing manufacturers, infrastructure managers, operators and users of all types of vehicles as well as cities, civil society and other stakeholders. It shares a vision of electro-mobility for surface transport delivered through multiple modes including electric bikes, cars and vans, trucks, buses, rail and other public transport. The Platform has been created to drive forward this transformation.

[2] MEPs voted for charging points to be required in only one out of 10 parking spaces in new non-residential buildings with more than 10 parking spaces.