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On 28 March, the European Parliament and the Swedish Presidency of the Council struck a deal on the provisional deal on the Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR). The agreement aims to expand the deployment of recharging or alternative refuelling stations for cars, trucks and ships, setting minimum mandatory national targets for the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure and requires EU countries to present their plans on how to achieve them.

CLECAT welcomes the agreement as a dense network of charging and refuelling station suitable for HDVs is an indispensable requisite for the sector to achieve the ambition level proposed by the new CO2 standards for HDVs and the objectives set out in the ‘Fit for 55’ package.

The negotiators agreed to include a requirement for electric charging stations for trucks and buses, which must be installed every 120 km on half of the main EU roads by 2028, with a power output of 1400 kW to 2800 kW depending on the road. The agreement also mandates two charging stations for trucks in safe and secure parking places by 2028. At the same time, hydrogen refuelling stations must be deployed every 200 km along the core TEN-T network by 2031. We regret that these targets are less ambitious than what the Commission and Parliament proposed, but we hope that the early review of the Regulation for the HDV charging/refuelling provisions will help strengthen these targets to match the demand incurred by the increasing roll-out of zero-emissions trucks on European roads.

Among other provisions, negotiators agreed to introduce targets for the deployment of onshore power supply (OPS) in ports as from 2030. The provisions were amended to be fully consistent with the recently agreed FuelEU Maritime Regulation. The Commission was also tasked to establish an EU “database” on alternative fuels data by 2027 to provide consumers with information on the availability, waiting times, or price at different stations. Finally, the text also specifies the obligations of each stakeholder involved, provides for progress tracking, ensures users are properly informed, and supplies the industry with common standards and technical specifications. A specific review in the short term was included in the text for significant technological and market developments that will affect heavy-duty vehicles, while the whole regulation will be reviewed in the medium term.

The provisional agreement will now go back to the Parliament and Council for final approval.

 Source: Council of the EU, European Parliament