Private companies paid for the network of service stations...

Private companies paid for the network of service stations around the country and continue to profit from them. What is so difficult to develop a commercial case for the required infrastructure? . The excerpt below details the growing infrastructure across Europe. The full article describes how widespread the distribution of EV charging stations, by country that has been realised. None operate as a charity.

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/electric-cars/charging/charging-your-electric-vehicle-in-europe/

Just like in the UK, the network of electric car chargers across Europe is growing.

Some 240,865 EV chargers (up to 22kW) have been recorded across the continent in 2021 to date¹, plus a further 33,956 fast chargers (those that can refill an EV battery at speeds greater than 22kW).

As with charging networks in the UK, some organisations require registration via a smartphone app or an RFID card. However, debit or credit card payment is increasingly commonplace.

Tesla operates its global Supercharger network across Europe. With 6,000 Superchargers at 600 sites, finding one should be easy. Tesla drivers can enter a destination on their car’s touchscreen and its trip planner will guide them through Superchargers along the route.

If you’re charging an electric car in Europe, IONITY has over 400 charging stations along major European motorways. A joint venture between BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Hyundai and the Volkswagen Group, there is an average of six charging points per station. All use the CCS European ultra-rapid charging standard. High-speed 350kW chargers can add 62 miles of charge in eight minutes.

Another pan-European network, Allego, offers more than 26,000 charge points. While some of those are in motorway service areas, you will also find them in McDonald’s restaurants, Geant Casino supermarkets and Postillion hotels. Payments can be made via Allego’s Smoov app, or by contactless or charge cards.

Plugsurfing is another European-wide network you could use for charging an EV in Europe. With its unique key or card – which costs €9.95 – and its free smartphone app, you can use upwards of 200,000 chargers, including those from different networks such as Allego, EnBW, Eon, Innogy, IONITY and Vattenfall.

NewMotion, a member of the Shell Group, also operates a pan-European EV charging service. Access to over 250,000 public charge points is via a charge card.