13mn EV charging units by 2020

The global electric vehicle (EV) charger market is forecast to grow from more than 1mn units in 2014 to around 13mn units in 2020, says a report on EV charging infrastructure from business intelligence provider IHS.

The report predicts that the chargers will largely be installed in domestic environments and will be accompanied with a growth in the market for pure electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.

Charging stations are currently split between the more popular AC type, and the faster charging, and more expensive, DC. ‘AC charging stations are the dominant type of plug-in vehicle charging type, and we expect AC charging to retain its position long term,’ said Ben Scott, Senior Analyst at IHS Automotive. ‘AC charging is also an inexpensive and convenient way of charging requiring much smaller upgrades of the electricity grid, whereas DC charging is best suited for en route charging.’

The report forecasts that DC charging station penetration is expected to be relatively low and that DC stations will largely be located on the outskirts of cities and highway infrastructure, rather than dense urban areas. 

‘Japan is a key growth region for EV charging stations and has recently passed a key milestone by having more EV charging stations than petrol stations,’ said Scott. In Europe, the Netherlands, the UK and Norway currently lead the way in terms of number of charging station deployments. The report says Germany and France are key growth areas.

When it comes to fast charging, Japan leads globally, with more than 2,800 DC fast charging stations, using the country’s fast charging EV connection standard – CHAdeMO. Japan accounts for roughly 50% of the global total of all CHAdeMO stations, according to the report.

Europe has its own fast charging standard, the newer Combined Charger System (CCS), which is supported by a host of car companies. From 2010 to 2014, IHS estimates that 7% of electric vehicles globally used the CCS charging system and about 65% used the CHAdeMO standard. The company expects this to change over the short to mid-term as more vehicles with the CCS standard enter the vehicle parc.

The expansion of plug-in hybrid vehicles will be a big factor in the growth in EV charging stations, says the report.

• The Renault-Nissan Alliance has announced that it will provide a fleet of 200 all-electric vehicles for the United Nation’s COP21 climate conference in Paris later this year. The fully electric car fleet will shuttle delegates during the event, held from 30 November to 11 December. More than 20,000 UN participants from 195 countries are expected to attend the summit.