Europe passes two big laws to make EV charging a whole lot better
The European Parliament adopted a set of rules today to improve the EV charging experience, focusing on easier payments, charging speed, and availability. In a separate move, the UK government is also currently proposing new rules for easier payments and charging station reliability.
Both sets of rules stand to improve the EV charging experience for Europeans and possibly the rest of the world.
Public charging has gotten a lot of attention lately as electric car sales continue to grow rapidly. Charging station operators are rushing to install chargers along major routes, trying to keep up with increasing demand from a ballooning EV fleet.
This has led to some issues in various territories, with confusing payment systems, less-than-desired charger reliability, and a lack of high-speed charging along some routes.
EU will mandate 400-600 kW charging every 60 km
Today, the European Parliament made a big move to improve the experience by approving new rules as part of its “Fit for 55” package, intended to reduce emissions by 55% by 2030. These regulations focus on expanding access to fast EV charging networks by mandating minimum speeds and distances between charging stations.
The rules cover Europe’s “TEN-T core network,” the main arterial road networks that cover all of Europe, comparable to the US interstate highway system.
Europe will mandate that, along these primary routes, chargers with at least 400 kW output must be placed at least every 60 km by 2026. In 2028, the minimum output will increase to 600 kW.
There are additional rules for truck and bus charging, with charging points required every 120 km at an output of 1.4-2.8 MW, depending on the road.
By 2027, Europe will develop a public database of these charging stations with information on availability, wait times, and pricing for different stations, regardless of network.
Beyond these charge station mandates, the new rules also mandate simpler charger payments. As-is, some networks require subscriptions or app downloads. But under these rules, customers must be able to pay with cards or contactless devices, and prices must be displayed to the customer.
Unrelated to EV charging, the EU also mandated cleaner maritime fuels, targeting an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas by 2050 and a requirement to use shore power while in ports. Both rules passed with massive majorities in the European Parliament.
UK wants to mandate 99% charging station reliability
Separately, the UK government has proposed rules focusing on charging experiences within the UK.
The headline feature of these rules is a mandate for 99% charging station reliability in the UK. According to a 2017 survey, 15% of EV charging stations in the UK were out of service, decreasing to 8% in 2019. The UK wants to lower this number to 1%.
Requiring 99% reliability could have benefits outside of the UK, as charging station manufacturers and station operators will have to step up their game and develop protocols for better reliability. The more territories that focus on reliability, the more likely these benefits might also bleed over to the ones that don’t.
The Netherlands has led the way in this respect with a 99% reliability target of its own, and the UK government specifically pointed to the Dutch as a reason for its 99% target.
This reliability focus comes with a requirement that charging station operators must provide a 24-hour helpline for when things go south.
In addition to the reliability mandates, the UK rules would adopt payment and database requirements that are similar to the EU rules, mandating per-kWh pricing, price displays, contactless payments, and live data on charge point availability. However, they only apply to fast chargers of 8 kW or above – slower public AC chargers are exempt.
These UK rules haven’t been officially adopted yet, but once they are, they will take one year to go into force. So the UK might get its rules before the EU if the government moves quickly enough.
Electrek’s Take
This is a good step forward, not just for Europeans but for electric car drivers everywhere. Big moves like this tend to spread, as can be seen with the similarities between EU and UK rules on charging and the UK’s specific callout of the Netherlands in its reliability target. So perhaps some of these requirements will percolate to other areas, and maybe we’ll get a little more charger reliability here in the US as a result.
Europe already has a simpler charging network than the US, as their chargers all rely on the same plug, Mennekes Type 2. Here in the US, we have two competing plugs – SAE CCS and Tesla Supercharger. This is one reason why Tesla could open up Superchargers to other cars in the EU earlier than in the US.
However, that’s changing in the US now that everyone is rushing to adopt Tesla’s NACS standard.
But Tesla has opposed pricing displays in the past. In 2020, California wanted to force manufacturers to display prices on stations, but Tesla’s minimalist Supercharger designs did not include a screen. Thus, the company opposed the idea. Tesla argued that since only its cars used its chargers and it can display all that information on the in-car display, it shouldn’t need to retrofit every charger with a display.
We expect there might be similar wrangling with the EU and UK rules, but the EU government has shown itself to be significantly less interested in tech industry lobbying than the US governments seem to be (see: Apple USB-C charging requirement, Meta GDPR fine, etc.). So Tesla may have its work cut out for it if it wants to convince the EU to let it keep its chargers looking the same.
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Is it an electric van or a truck? The Kia PV5 might be in a class of its own. Kia’s electric van was recently spotted charging in public with an open bed, and it looks like a real truck.
Kia’s electric van morphs into a truck with an open bed
The PV5 is the first of a series of electric vans as part of Kia’s new Platform Beyond Vehicle business (PBV). Kia claims the PBVs are more than vans, they are “total mobility solutions,” equipped with Hyundai’s advanced software.
Based on the flexible new EV platform, E-GMP.S, Kia has several new variants in the pipeline, including camper vans, refrigerated trucks, luxury “Prime” models for passenger use, and an open bed model.
Kia launched the PV5 Passenger and Cargo in the UK earlier this year for business and personal use. We knew more were coming, but now we are getting a look at a new variant in public.
Although we got a brief glimpse of it earlier this month driving by in Korea, Kia’s electric van was spotted charging in public with an open bed.
The folks at HealerTV found the PV5 variant with an open bed parked in Korea, offering us a good look from all angles.
From the front, it resembles the Passenger and Cargo variants, featuring slim vertical LED headlights. However, from the side, it’s an entirely different vehicle. The truck sits low to the ground, similar to the one captured driving earlier this month.
When you look at it from the back, you can’t even tell it’s the PV5. It looks like any other cargo truck with an open bed.
The PV5 open bed measures 5,000 mm in length, 1,900 mm in width, and 2,000 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,000 mm. Although Kia has yet to say how big the bed will be, the reporter mentions it doesn’t look that deep, but it’s wide enough to carry a good load.
The open bed will be one of several PV5 variants that Kia plans to launch in Europe and Korea later this year, alongside the Passenger, Cargo, and Chassis Cab configurations.
In Europe, the PV5 Passenger is available with two battery pack options: 51.5 kWh or 71.2 kWh, providing WLTP ranges of 179 miles and 249 miles, respectively. The Cargo variant is rated with a WLTP range of 181 miles or 247 miles.
Kia will reveal battery specs closer to launch for the open bed variant, but claims it “has the longest driving range among compact commercial EVs in its class.”
In 2027, Kia will launch the larger PV7, followed by an even bigger PV9 in 2029. There’s also a smaller PV1 in the works, which is expected to arrive sometime next year or in 2027.
What do you think of Kia’s electric van? Will it be a game changer? With plenty of variants on the way, it has a good chance. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: HealerTV
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Is Nissan raising the red flag? Nissan is cutting about 15% of its workforce and is now asking suppliers for more time to make payments.
Nissan starts job cuts, asks supplier to delay payments
As part of its recovery plan, Nissan announced in May that it plans to cut 20,000 jobs, or around 15% of its global workforce. It’s also closing several factories to free up cash and reduce costs.
Nissan said it will begin talks with employees at its Sunderland plant in the UK this week about voluntary retirement opportunities. The company is aiming to lay off around 250 workers.
The Sunderland plant is the largest employer in the city with around 6,000 workers and is critical piece to Nissan’s comeback. Nissan will build its next-gen electric vehicles at the facility, including the new LEAF, Juke, and Qashqai.
According to several emails and company documents (via Reuters), Nissan is also working with its suppliers to for more time to make payments.
“They could choose to be paid immediately or opt for a later payment,” Nissan said. The company explained in a statement to Reuters that it had incentivized some of its suppliers in Europe and the UK to accept more flexible payment terms, at no extra cost.
The emails show that the move would free up cash for the first quarter (April to June), similar to its request before the end of the financial year.
One employee said in an email to co-workers that Nissan was asking suppliers “again” to delay payments. The emails, viewed by Reuters, were exchanged between Nissan workers in Europe and the United Kingdom.
Nissan is taking immediate action as part of its recovery plan, aiming to turn things around, the company said in a statement.
“While we are taking these actions, we aim for sufficient liquidity to weather the costs of the turnaround actions and redeem bond maturities,” the company said.
Nissan didn’t comment on the internal discussions, but the emails did reveal it gave suppliers two options. They could either delay payments at a higher interest rate, or HSBC would make the payment, and Nissan would repay the bank with interest.
The company had 2.2 trillion yen ($15.2 billion) in cash and equivalents at the end of March, but it has around 700 billion yen ($4.9 billion) in debt that’s due later this year.
As part of Re:Nissan, the Japanese automaker’s recovery plan, Nissan looks to cut costs by 250 billion yen. By fiscal year 2026, it plans to return to profitability.
Electrek’s Take
With an aging vehicle lineup and a wave of new low-cost rivals from China, like BYD, Nissan is quickly falling behind.
Nissan is launching several new electric and hybrid vehicles over the next few years, including the next-gen LEAF, which is expected to help boost sales.
In China, the world’s largest EV market, Nissan’s first dedicated electric sedan, the N7, is off to a hot start with over 20,000 orders in 50 days.
The N7 will play a role in Nissan’s recovery efforts as it plans to export it to overseas markets. It will be one of nine new energy vehicles, including EVs and PHEVs, that Nissan plans to launch in China.
Can Nissan turn things around? Or will it continue falling behind the pack? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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