4 M. EV Charging Stations Deployed in Europe by 2020: Pike Research

Taipei, Dec. 6, 2012 (CENS)--More than four million charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs), both commercial and private, will be operating across Europe by 2020, according to a recent study by Pike Research.

The introduction of the Renault ZOE at the end of 2012 and the Volkswagen Golf in 2013 – two EVs that could have mass-market appeal – should dramatically increase consumer interest in EVs in Europe, and spur investment from companies looking to provide charging infrastructure, the market research and consulting firm said.

With the continued introduction of various EV models, the market for electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) is estimated by Pike Research to grow rapidly in Europe over the remainder of the decade, with annual sales of EVSE growing from less than 47,000 units in 2012 to nearly 900,000 in 2020, including more than four million charging stations across Europe.

“In many ways, Europe is the ideal market for electric vehicles,” said research director John Gartner. “European consumers, accustomed to smaller city cars and driving shorter distances, are expected to shift to EVs at a more rapid pace than motorists in North America. Also, because more Europeans live in multi-unit dwellings, commercial charging equipment is likely to be more prevalent there than in North America.”

One factor that could limit the spread of EVSE, according to Pike Research, is the great variety between countries in terms of regulations, government support for EVs and charging infrastructure, and technologies. The absence of a single, region-wide alternating current EV charging connector standard has hampered the deployment of EV charging infrastructure.

The European Union (EU) must address these country-specific variations if the EV market is to thrive, Pike Research's report suggested.