All new and renovated buildings in the European Union in the near future will have to have in addition to parking spaces and connections for charging electric cars
The European Commission revised its Energy Performance of Buildings Directive this month. This builds on the existing regulatory framework to include greater ambitions and burning needs in the field of climate and social measures, and the revised directive sets out how Europe can achieve a fully decarbonize zero-emission building stock by 2050.
30 million electric vehicles are expected by 2030.
The revised directive supports better air quality, the digitization of energy systems for buildings and the introduction of infrastructure for sustainable mobility. This means that, once this regulatory framework is adopted, all new buildings and those renovated thereafter will need to have connections for charging electric vehicles next to parking spaces.
Given that there are expected to be at least 30 million electric vehicles on EU roads by 2030, the introduction of charging infrastructure needs to be accelerated proportionately. The proposal for the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation sets a target for publicly available refueling infrastructure, and the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive complements these targets for refueling infrastructure requirements in private buildings, at home or in the workplace. It is expected that a large part of the charging of electric cars will take place in such buildings.
Smart charging
Another novelty in the new regulation is the requirement that charging stations should enable smart charging. In addition, cars will be able to charge when energy prices are lower or when more renewable energy is available. As technology evolves, it will be possible to restore electricity to the grid and use the car battery as a storage device. Smart charging facilitates the integration of energy from renewable sources such as wind and solar energy into the grid and helps decarbonizing the energy system, according to the amendments to the directive.