ROME – With the aim of breaking down all obstacles to the spread of electric vehicles, various initiatives are being studied within the Community that can involve all member countries. In this sense, the recent proposal of the European Commission is inserted, which provides for new requirements for parking spaces in homes and workplaces that will have to be pre-wired to accommodate battery chargers for electric cars. The initiative to allow motorists who switch to electricity greater availability of charging infrastructures provides for the presence of pre-wiring in new buildings and in those undergoing major renovations.
Definitely a positive proposition, but which for the Transport & Environment (T&E) association risks penalizing the vast majority of motorists who live and work in existing buildings who will not be able to benefit from the proposal. “If motorists are expected to switch to electricity, then we have to remove the barriers to charging where most of it occurs, at home and at work (90%). Requiring pre-wiring in new buildings or major renovations only limits the introduction of recharging to the small part of buildings that are built each year. Only 1% of existing buildings are extensively renovated every year ”. According to the European Federation for Transport and the Environment, people and businesses sometimes have to wait up to a year to get chargers installed.
T&E reiterates that the EU proposal for a ‘right to plug’ (to give motorists a legal basis to install a charger quickly wherever they live), could help cut administrative procedures in member states, but would need to be made more concrete. And just to give an example, there should be a maximum time that motorists have to wait between applying for a permit and installing a private charging point. In short, the debate is open and the deputies and governments of the EU will pass the examination of the proposal before deciding on the final directive which will then become law. (maurilio rigo)
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