E-mobility in Europe is still on the rise. The number of battery electric vehicle registrations is rising rapidly in all countries, and Norway has already set its sights on the goal of not registering any more vehicles with internal combustion engines. From 2035, no more new diesel or gas cars will be sold across the entire EU. And the upswing in electric vehicles means that charging infrastructure will continue to expand as well as become more powerful. So we can expect an optimistic spirit to prevail when the mobility and energy industries come together from May 7–9 at Power2Drive Europe, the international exhibition for charging infrastructure and e-mobility – all under the motto “Charging the Future of Mobility”. Power2Drive Europe is part of The smarter E Europe, Europe’s largest alliance of exhibitions for the energy industry. Over 3,000 exhibitors and more than 110,000 industry professionals from all corners of the globe are expected to attend the four exhibitions this year.
Spurred on by this air of optimism and thirst for action, the European industry association for electromobility – and Power2Drive Europe partner – has recently dropped its original name AVERE and rebranded as E-Mobility Europe. This move clearly highlights their drive and ambition to vigorously advance the rollout of battery electric driving throughout the EU. During his presentation unveiling the association’s new brand identity, Secretary General Chris Heron explained: “2025 will be a pivotal year for Europe’s switch to electric vehicles.” And there is much to suggest that he is right. Industry service provider Flexcharge reports astonishing and notable progress throughout Europe in January 2025, highlighting the dynamic developments in both technology and markets. For example, during that month, infrastructure supplier Fastned opened its largest station in France, which can supply up to 180,000 vehicles per day. In the metropolitan region of Amsterdam, Total Energy and two partner companies have begun to set up a grid of 600 fast charging points, thereby contributing to the country’s zero emissions targets. The United Kingdom reports, after the end of 2024, an overall increase of 38 percent in the total number of available charging points, and 84 percent in that of fast charging points with 150 kilowatts or more. And in the whole of Scandinavia, gas station operator Circle K is developing multi-purpose charging stations for heavy e-commercial vehicles and e-passenger cars, with a focus on remote and undersupplied regions.
The growth in publicly accessible charging infrastructure in the European Union remains dynamic. The Netherlands defend their top position in the rankings, while Germany and France have begun to catch up. It is interesting to note the sharp increase in direct current charging points in the two largest EU countries.
The ratio of registered electric vehicles to publicly accessible charging points is also changing. For a long time, in Germany for example, there was an assumed target of one charging station for ten vehicles. However, according to a study from the National Center for Charging Infrastructure, this number is in no way set in stone. One study forecasts a ratio of 20:1 by 2030. The reasons for this are, on the one hand, significant growth in private charging infrastructure and, on the other, the ever improving charging power of the vehicles. The ratio will also depend to a large extent on the type of space. The commissioned researchers have calculated that the ratio will be 14:1 in urban areas and 23:1 in suburban and rural areas. These targets nevertheless mean that massive expansion of charging infrastructure is still required.
Against the backdrop of these developments and dynamics, the Project Manager at Power2Drive Europe, Joel Wenske, is particularly looking forward to this year’s event: “The resurgence in demand for e-vehicles is giving rise to a need for more charging infrastructure. That is why prospects for the charging infrastructure industry in Europe in particular are very promising. And as electromobility continues to ramp up everywhere, the infrastructure has to keep pace in terms of more than just numbers. Key issues on the horizon include identifying the situations and circumstances under which people want to and are able to charge their electric vehicles, above all in cities and urban centers, where smart or bidirectional charging is vital. This will be a key topic under discussion when international thinkers, influencers and implementers of tomorrow’s mobility solutions come together in May at Power2Drive Europe in Munich to network and do business.”
Power2Drive Europe, and the parallel events Intersolar Europe, ees Europe and EM-Power Europe, will take place from May 7–9, 2025 as part of The smarter E Europe, Europe’s largest alliance of exhibitions for the energy industry, at Messe München.