European Union should set itself the goal of installing one million public charging stations for electric cars in 2024 and three million by 2029, with the idea of giving consumers the confidence they need to make the switch to new technology, says the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), Reuters reports.

In a joint letter, together with several consumer associations and sustainable transport organizations, ACEA called on Brussels to set ambitious targets for each country in terms of developing the network of charging points for electric vehicles.

“Setting these targets will send a strong signal to consumers that the number of public charging stations will continue to keep pace with the explosive growth of electric vehicle sales in Europe. It would also provide certainty to the car industry but also to network operators, infrastructure operators, loading and transport companies,” it is shown in the letter quoted by Agerpres.

The expansion of the network of public charging stations, to be added to charging points at home or at work is much slower and in addition there are different tariffs and payment methods. Data published by the car industry show that last year there were 224,538 public charging stations for electric cars in the European Union.

In addition, in a letter signed by ACEA, Transport & Environment (T&E) and the European Consumer Organization (BEUC), the European Commission is urged to set a target of around 1,000 hydrogen charging stations in 2029.