Individuals living in apartments should have a ‘right to plug’ electric vehicles in their own private parking spaces, representative group Transport & Environment (T&E) has said.
T&E was commenting following EU approval of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) in 2024, which sets targets to install EV chargers in buildings with more than three parking spaces. However, when it comes to apartment buildings, the regulations are ‘too vague’, T&E commented, and ‘lack concrete targets to guarantee easy and swift access to private charging’.
Sustainable transport
The group called for EU member states to move beyond implementing the EPBD text, and enable apartment dwellers the freedom to install an EV charger at their own cost in their private parking space, in order to further encourage sustainable transport initiatives.
Following an analysis of the regulatory framework in six countries, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK, T&E has issued a number of recommendations for member states based on the EPBD wording.
The recommendations include:
1 – Establish a ‘right to plug’ in national legislation. This ‘right to plug’ should ensure that residents, both owners and tenants, can install chargers at their own cost in private parking spaces, as well as streamlining the notification process to co-owners unless legitimate objections arise.
2 – Pre-cable parking spaces in new and renovated buildings. Pre-cabling of parking spaces in new or renovated apartment buildings should be mandated, with electrical infrastructure adapted and upgraded to support future charging needs.
3 – Equip existing multi-family buildings. National strategies should be developed to retrofit apartment buildings, with specific targets for 2035 aligned with local EV adoption rates.
4 – Financial support for charger installations. Subsidies should be offered to those wishing to purchase and install charging points, while innovative business models to cover upfront costs for equipping all parking spaces should also be promoted.
5 – Mandate bidirectional-ready chargers. All newly installed chargers should be mandated to support bidirectional energy flows, enabling EV owners to charge during low-cost, off-peak hours and sell excess energy back to the grid during peak times.
Read more here.
