Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation
In the context of the ‘Fit for 55’ package, the co-legislators agreed on a new Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure repealing Directive 2014/94/EU. The regulation is applicable since 13 April 2024.
The specific objectives of the Regulation are:
- to ensure minimum infrastructure to support the required uptake of alternative fuel vehicles across all transport modes and in all EU Member States to meet the EU’s climate objectives;
- to ensure full interoperability of the infrastructure; and
- to ensure comprehensive user information and adequate payment options at alternative fuels infrastructure.
The regulation sets a number of mandatory national targets for the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure in the EU, for road vehicles, vessels and stationary aircraft.
For publicly available electric recharging infrastructure for light duty road vehicles (cars and vans), the regulation sets out mandatory national fleet based targets (e.g. for every battery electric light duty vehicle a total power output of at least 1.3 kW must be provided through publicly accessible recharging stations while for every plug-in hybrid light-duty vehicle, a total power output of at least 0.8 kW must be provided). It also sets out distance-based targets for light duty and heavy-duty road vehicles on the TEN-T core and comprehensive network. It also requires EU Member States to ensure a number of recharging stations are in place for heavy-duty vehicles in urban nodes and in safe and secure parklings.
The regulation also includes provisions for ensuring user-friendliness of recharging infrastructure (e.g. payment options, price transparency and consumer information, non-discriminatory practices, smart recharging).
For hydrogen, publicly accessible hydrogen refuelling stations must be deployed with a maximum distance of 200 km in between them along the TEN-T core and the TEN-T comprehensive network and at least one must be available in every urban node.
As regards, electricity supply to vessels and stationary aircraft, the regulation sets targets for the deployment of shore-side electricity supply for larger seagoing container and passenger ships in maritime ports and for inland waterway vessels, and for electricity supply to stationary aircraft at TEN-T core and comprehensive network airports.
It also contains provisions for EU Member States to ensure minimum coverage of publicly accessible refuelling points for liquefied methane dedicated to heavy-duty vehicles on the TEN-T core and comprehensive network and to ensure an appropriate number of liquified methane refuelling points in maritime TEN-T ports.
The regulation reformulates provisions concerning Member States’ national policy frameworks for the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure, including provisions for areas where no mandatory EU wide targets are set and the reporting on the deployment of such infrastructure.
Related documents and useful links
Clean Power for Transport Package
Before the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation was adopted, the Clean Power for Transport Package was initiated. The full package consisted of following documents:
- A Communication laying out a comprehensive European alternative fuels strategy, for the long-term substitution of oil as energy source in all modes of transport;
- A proposal for a Directive on the deployment of alternative fuels recharging and refuelling infrastructure;
- An accompanying Impact Assessment;
- A Staff Working Document setting out the needs in terms of market conditions, regulations, codes and standards for a broad market uptake of LNG in the shipping sector.
In November 2017, as part of the Second Mobility Package or Clean Mobility Package, the European Commission adopted an Action Plan on the deployment of Alternative Fuels Infrastructure, including investment solutions for the trans-European deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure. The aim was to increase the level of ambition of national plans, to increase investment, and improve consumer acceptance of alternative fuels.
In February 2019, the Commission published the Roadmap for the evaluation of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Directive. In July 2021 this was followed by an accompanying impact assessment SWD(2021).