EIB releases contract guide for uptake of electric mobility

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has released a contract guide to support public authorities in the deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure via public-private partnerships. 

The European Union’s ambitious climate objectives rely on a widespread and rapid transition from internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs) over the next few years. For this to happen, significant investment is needed to create a comprehensive, reliable and competitive EV charging network: the European Commission’s Green Deal estimates that the number of publicly accessible charging points must increase from 200.000 in 2020 to at least 1 million in 2025.

The European Parliament approved a binding mandate to ban car sales of ICE vehicles after 2035 to speed Europe’s shift to electric vehicles and accelerate the uptake of zero-emission vehicles, which POLIS strongly supports. However, this must be combined with the creation of a comprehensive network of publicly accessible recharging infrastructure.

Regions and cities will play a key role in this process since the deployment of this network will occur significantly in urban areas. This can be done via public-private partnerships.

In this guide, the EIB highlights that cities and regions wishing to pursue a partnering approach have various models from which to choose (public contract, joint venture, concession, availability-based contract and license). The report focuses on the concession model and seeks to increase general awareness and understanding of the use, structure and content of these contracts for public EV charging infrastructure. It aims to address a need for a greater understanding of concessions among public authorities, particularly at the local and municipal levels, where responsibility for EV rollout typically lies and experience or know-how in this area is quite limited.

You can read the full report here.