ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND INFRASTRUCTURE: EU’S JOURNEY TO CARBON NEUTRALITY BY 2035

The European Parliament decided to ban new combustion engine registrations in the EU by 2035, without specific plans for synthetic fuels. Currently, there is discussion about possible relaxation of this regulation, but nevertheless, this raises questions about fully electrifying car fleets and building necessary infrastructure. Projecting this growth suggests complete fleet electrification for new registered vehicles by 2031. However, infrastructure expansion is crucial. In 2020, there were 3.1 million electric vehicles and 287,000 charging stations in the EU. By 2035, with an estimated 350 million registered vehicles, 10 million charging stations would be needed, respectively. These challenges indicate a need for a mixed approach. Given the environmental impact of resource extraction for EVs, many experts argue that EVs alone aren't a global or at least a European solution. Investing in synthetic fuel production processes, alongside renewable energy, could create a sustainable lifecycle using existing infrastructure.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47743/rebs-2025-1-0010