De-Risky Business: Rethinking AFIF for Risk-Free EV Charging Investment

As the European Commission prepares its Automotive Industrial Plan and revisits the Multiannual Financial Framework, ChargeUp Europe’s latest paper offers actionable recommendations to ensure that investments in EV charging infrastructure are effective, equitable, and aligned with 2035 emissions targets.

The recommendations draw on the experience of ChargeUp Europe’s members with existing EU and national funding programs, highlighting areas where the Connecting Europe Facility/Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (CEF/AFIF) and other instruments can evolve to meet the needs of a growing e-mobility market.

ChargeUp Europe recommends:

• To maintain and expand CEF-AFIF funding

• To account for the grid connection costs in the funding scheme

• To introduce an ‘EV grid facility’ in the EU budget

• To simplify the rules and procedures to access EU funding, via:

  • Extension of project timelines in line with permitting and grid connection processes

  • A more flexible site selection process

  • More flexibility in financing models for grant application

  • Less burdensome administrative process and application procedures

• To introduce a EU-level monitoring system on the use of EU funds.

By addressing key challenges such as high fixed costs, grid connection bottlenecks, and administrative burdens, these recommendations aim to unlock investment potential and support a fair, pan-European rollout of EV charging infrastructure.

Read the full paper here.