The Netherlands is leading the way in charging points for electric vehicles, making it the perfect destination for ‘green’ motorists this summer. If you are the owner of an electric car who is filled with a level of trepidation that you may run out of battery power in the middle of nowhere, the Dutch speaking nation is the place to be.
A study by car finance company Carmoola shows the country has a total of 90,284 charging points – that’s around 242 for every 100 square kilometres of land. Luxembourg – just three hours south of Eindhoven – came second in the list with 69 points per 100km2.
Other countries where you won’t ever be too far away from somewhere to stop and boost your battery are Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany, coming in third, fourth and fifth respectively. Belgium is home to 45 points for every 100 square kilometres, while Switzerland has a total of 20 for the same area.
Germany, which boasts the biggest landmass, currently has 17 for every 100 square kilometres. Austria (15 for every 100km2), Denmark (13), Italy (8) and Slovenia (6) completed the top ten.
While every European nation has more electric vehicles than charging points, the country where you are likely to wait the least amount of time is the Netherlands, where it equates to just three cars per point. The UK is ranked at number six in Europe.
Currently Britain offers drivers 16 chargers for every 100 square kilometres, or a total of 30.034 points. With around 381,163 electric motors on our roads that means there are ten cars for every charging point. 23 countries were listed in the report, with Estonia, Finland and Latvia having the lowest number of chargers per 100 square kilometres.
Latvia and Estonia are the only countries where the average numbers of points per 100 kilometres square is less than one, 0.65 and 0.89 respectively. The Netherlands hopes to have installed 200,000 electrical charging points by the year 2025 and the government’s current incentive plan makes the cost of owning an electric car around the same as having a petrol or diesel version.
And by 2030 only emission-free vehicles will be able to be registered in the country. Aidan Rushby, CEO of car financing app, Carmoola, said: “EV technology is continually improving, which means they are more powerful in terms of speed, acceleration and mileage - perfect for driving in the city as well as longer journeys now.
“But if you still have apprehensions, and want to avoid the airports, we thought we’d pull together the ultimate guide to get you on the road this summer. With so many fast chargers all over Europe, you won’t have to wait hours to get back on the road.
“If you’re considering buying an electric vehicle this year, think about the Volkswagen ID.4, with two electric motors you can get from zero to 62mph in just 6.2 seconds. The Pro Performance spec also has a range of 322 miles- perfect for road trips."
