COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT Accompanying the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure, and repealing Directive 2014/94/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council
Date: 2021-07-14
Institutions: Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport, European Commission
Subjects: clean technology, electric vehicle, electricity supply, hydrogen, motor vehicle pollution, reduction of gas emissions, renewable energy, substitute fuel, sustainable mobility, transport infrastructure

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   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 14.7.2021  SWD(2021) 632 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE IMPACT ASSESSMENT  Accompanying the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure, and repealing Directive 2014/94/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council {COM(2021) 559 final} - {SEC(2021) 560 final} - {SWD(2021) 631 final} - {SWD(2021) 637 final} - {SWD(2021) 638 final}  
 
 
Executive Summary Sheet 

Impact assessment on a Proposal for a Revision of the Directive 2014/94 of the European Parliament and of the 
Council on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure 

A. Need for action 

What is the problem and why is it a problem at EU level?  
In  response  to  the  increased  climate  ambition  for  2030  set  out  by  the  European  Green  Deal  and  the  Climate 
Target  Plan  of  the  Commission,  the  Sustainable  and  Smart  Mobility  Strategy  confirms  the  need  for  a  rapidly 
accelerated uptake of low and zero-emission vehicles and vessels. A sufficiently dense, widespread network of 
public  accessible  recharging  and  refuelling  infrastructure  is  necessary  to  support  this  take-up.  The  evaluation 
has  indicated  that  the  Directive  is  not  fit  for  the  purpose  of  serving  the  recharging  and  refuelling  infrastructure 
needed  in  response  to  the  increased  climate  ambition  for  2030.  Driven  by  shortcomings  in  provisions  of  the 
current Directive the main problems include 1) Member States infrastructure planning under the Directive lacks, 
on  average,  the  level  of  ambition  and  coherence  needed,  leading  to  insufficient,  unevenly  distributed 
infrastructure; 2) interoperability issues persist  in terms of physical connections  and communication standards, 
including connection to the electricity grid and 3) there is a lack of transparent consumer information and easy to 
use  payment  systems,  which  impact  user  acceptance.  Without  further  EU  level  intervention,  such  lack  of 
interoperable,  easy-to  use  recharging  and  refuelling  infrastructure  is  likely  to  become  a  barrier  to  the  needed 
market growth of low and zero-emission vehicles and vessels in view of the increased 2030 climate ambition. 

What should be achieved?  
In order to contribute to achieving climate neutrality  by  2050  and  to contribute to the reduction  of air pollution, 
this  initiative  seeks  to  ensure  the  availability  and  usability  of  a  dense,  wide-spread  network  of  alternative  fuel 
infrastructure throughout the EU. All  users of alternatively fuelled vehicles (including vessels and aircraft) shall 
circulate  at  ease  across  the  EU,  enabled  by  key  infrastructure  such  as  motorways,  ports  and  airports.  The 
specific objectives are: 1) ensuring minimum infrastructure to support the required uptake of alternatively fuelled 
vehicles  across  all  modes  and  in  all  Member  States  to  meet  the  EU’s  climate  objective,  2)  ensuring  full 
interoperability of the infrastructure and 3) ensuring full user information and adequate payment options. 

What is the value added of action at the EU level (subsidiarity)?  
Full  connectivity  and  a  seamless  user  experience  along  the  European  transport  network  for  low  and  zero 
emission  vehicles  and  vessels,  ensured  through  sufficient  quantity  and  full  interoperability  of  infrastructure 
across borders is a prerequisite to meet the European Green Deal goal on reduction of transport GHG emissions 
and for the development of a common EU transport market. Those objectives can only be reached by a common 
European  legislative  framework.  The  revision  of  the  Directive  will  contribute  to  a  coherent  development  and 
rollout of vehicles fleets, recharging and refuelling infrastructure and user information and services.  

B. Solutions 

What  are  the  various  options  to  achieve  objectives?  Is  there  a  preferred  option  or  not?  If  not, 
why?  
Three  policy  options  (PO)  have  been  analysed  that  all  ensure  that  sufficient,  interoperable  and  user-friendly 
recharging and refuelling infrastructure will be available to support the uptake of low and zero emission vehicles 
by  2030  and  beyond.  All  options  include  mandatory  deployment  targets  at  national  level,  but  vary  in  terms  of 
prescription  of  the  location  of  this  infrastructure,  the  level  of  harmonisation  of  physical  connectors  and 
communication  protocols  as  well  as  in  terms  of  information  and  services  to  be  offered  to  consumers.  The 
preferred  choice  is  PO2  as  it  ensures  sufficient  quantity  of  infrastructure  overall  as  well  as  sufficient 
infrastructure  on  the  TEN-T  network,  while  leaving  Member  States  flexibility  in  terms  of  precise  location  and 
capacity of the infrastructure. Furthermore, full interoperability and access of user to all relevant information and 
services is ensured.           
What are different stakeholders' views? Who supports which option?  
The preferred policy option (PO2) is supported by the automotive industry, many manufacturers and operators of 
recharging and refuelling infrastructure, the electricity sector and many civil society associations, albeit different 
views with respect to the quantitative requirements exist. However, ports and airports raised concerns about the 
additional costs for providing related infrastructure in particular for on shore power supply (OPS) and electricity 
supply to stationary aircrafts. Public authorities are largely supportive of a revision of the Directive in particular 
with  respect  to  interoperability  and  user  friendliness  but  view  are  more  mixed  when  it  comes  to  mandatory 
deployment targets, in particular with respect to fleet based targets for recharging infrastructure. 

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C. Impacts of the preferred option 

What are the benefits of the preferred option (if any, otherwise of main ones)?                                       
Societal  benefits  will  result  from  the  reduction  in  CO2  and  air  pollutant  emissions.  In  general,  investments  in 
quantity and quality of infrastructure will not directly lead to a greater uptake of low- and zero-emission vehicles 
which  is  rather  triggered  by  other  policies,  e.g.  the  CO2  emission  performance  standards  for  cars  and  vans. 
However,  only  if  sufficient  and  interoperable  infrastructure  is  available  that  provides  minimum  services  to 
consumers, it can be expected that the vehicles will make it into the market to the extent necessary to achieve 
the  EU’s  Climate  Target  Plan  objective.  The  reduction  in  the  external  costs  of  CO2  emissions  is  estimated  at 
around  €445  billion  relative  to  the  baseline  over  the  2021-2050  period,  expressed  as  present  value,  while  the 
reduction  in  the external costs of air pollution at €75  billion. These reductions are driven by  other policies,  but 
enabled by the uptake of infrastructure. The preferred option is expected to have a positive impact on innovation, 
particularly  in  the  area  of  low  and  zero-emission  vehicle  and  vessel  development,  innovative  user  services 
building  on  a  common  data  infrastructure,  related  business  models  but  also  in  the  development  of  more 
innovative recharging and refuelling technologies. Those innovations are likely to strengthen the competitiveness 
of European industry.  

What are the costs of the preferred option (if any, otherwise of main ones)?                                      
Total  infrastructure  costs,  including  capital  and  operation  costs  for  fully  interoperable  and  user-friendly 
infrastructure, are expected to amount to €67.1-70.5 billion compared to the baseline over the 2021-2050 period, 
expressed as present value, of which €60.3-63.7 billion will be for road infrastructure, €5.9 billion for waterborne 
transport  and  €0.9  billion  for  aviation.  There  are  no  significant  direct  negative  impacts  in  economic,  social  or 
environmental areas.  

What are the impacts on SMEs and competitiveness?  

The  policy  options  increase  certainty  of  long-term  market  demand  in  all  Member  States.  This  will  generally 
benefit all enterprises that are active in this market. Especially in electric mobility market, new market actors are 
often  SMEs  who  will  benefit  from  the  accelerated  deployment  of  recharging  infrastructure  under  the  Directive 
and from the provisions for data sharing through  national access points of Member  States Competitiveness of 
enterprises active in installing and operating recharging and refuelling infrastructure will increase under all policy 
options, as higher demand for recharging and refuelling practice as triggered by the CO2 emission performance 
standards  for  cars  and  vans,  but  also  for  heavy-duty  vehicles,  will  lead  to  better  profitability  of  operations, 
complemented by decreasing cost of technologies. 

Will there be significant impacts on national budgets and administrations?  
The  costs  to  public  authorities  from  the  requirements  to  review  and  update  the  national  policy  frameworks 
(NPFs) and report on the implementation are the same as in the baseline. In the baseline they are estimated to 
be €3,400,000 (€126,000 per Member State) for each reporting circle under the National Policy Frameworks that 
is planned for every three years. Monitoring costs may increase to some extent to report on compliance with the 
strict targets set. The additional costs relative to the baseline cannot however be quantified; and the provision of 
standardised data formats, digitised data transfer and a common system of reporting to national access points of 
Member States will simplify overall reporting under the Directive. Investments into infrastructure are expected to 
be largely covered by private investments. However, especially in the early phase of market development, public 
authorities  will  have  to  financially  support  some  of  the market  investments  with  decreasing  aid  intensities  over 
time. Up to 2030, it is expected that public authorities will have to contribute €0.64 billion per year on average 
(41% of the total investments). For the period 2031-2050, the public support is projected at €0.45 billion per year 
on average (10% of the total investments).  

Will there be other significant impacts?  
Consumers will have access to sufficient and fully  interoperable infrastructure, related information and services 
that will make travelling with low and zero emission vehicles across the EU more convenient and predictable as 
the  issues  of  ensuring  full  user  information  and  adequate  payment  options  will  be  addressed.  However,  those 
benefits can’t be quantified. 
Proportionality 
None of the policy options goes beyond what is necessary to reach the overall policy objectives. The proposed 
intervention  ensures  the  uptake  of  sufficient  infrastructure  for  recharging  and  refuelling  of  alternative  fuels 
vehicles  in  the  Union  necessary  for  delivering  on  the  increased  climate  and  energy  ambition  for  2030  and  the 
overall objective of reaching climate neutrality by 2050. 

D. Follow up 

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When will the policy be reviewed?  
The  policy  will  be  reviewed  end  of  2026  to  assess  the  deployment  level  of  alternative  fuels  infrastructure  in 
relation  to  the  uptake  of  low  and  zero  emission  vehicles  and  the  technology  developments,  in  particular  in 
waterborne  transport  and  aviation,  but  also  rail,  to  determine  the  need  for  alternative  fuels  infrastructure  in 
those sectors. 

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