In the fifth and final round of the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for the Transport Programme – Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Fund (AFIF) during the period 2021 – 2023, the European Union (EU) selected 42 projects that will have access to 424 million euros.
This funding is combined with assistance from major financial institutions to achieve a greater impact from EU grants.
The aim is to promote the creation of an environmentally sustainable transport network, in line with the objectives set out in the Green Deal.
With this selection, AFIF will support approximately 4,200 electric charging points along the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).
Support will also be provided for the establishment of 48 hydrogen refuelling stations for cars, trucks, and buses, as well as the electrification of ground support services at 21 airports.
Likewise, with a total budget of one billion euros allocated for the period 2024-2025, AFIF will continue to support initiatives through a combination of CEF grants and support from financial institutions.
This assistance is provided through a call for proposals that began on February 29 2024, with three deadlines for project submissions until the end of 2025.
Below, Mobility Portal Europe shares detailed information about some companies in the sector that would benefit from the grant.
Allego
Originating from the Netherlands, the company will carry out the Cross-E Cohesion project thanks to the subsidy obtained, totaling nearly 30 million euros.
As a result, 706 charging points with a minimum output power of 150 kilowatts for Light Duty Vehicles (LDVs) and 47 units with a power of 350 kilowatts for Heavy Duty Vehicles (HDVs) will be deployed.
They will be deployed at 199 locations across Hungary, Croatia, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
This deployment will be complemented by an additional 158 points from the twin Cross-E General project, which would receive more than four million euros.
Anwim
One of the largest independent corporations in the fuel sector in Poland plans to use the 7.5 million euros grant to deploy 38 stations equipped with 208 units connected to 38 connections of the country’s power grid.
Of these 208 points, 204 will be dedicated to light vehicles and four to heavy vehicles.
Atlante
The Italian corporation, a member of the NHOA group, secured an increase in funding of 17 million euros from the EU.
This injection of funds will support the installation of over 700 new rapid and ultra-rapid charging points, all powered by renewable energy.
These units will be distributed across 44 stations that will soon span the entire Italian territory.
This expansion will benefit not only electric cars but also heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses.
Energetika Ljubljana
The Slovenia-based company has several initiatives in development.
On one hand, it plans to establish a hydrogen refuelling station for public transport buses in Ljubljana.
It also envisages the development of 16 charging hubs for EVs, 14 for electric buses in Koper, and 12 for public transport buses in Ljubljana.
This initiative aims to improve the charging and fuel infrastructure for public transport vehicles in Slovenia, with an investment of nine million euros.
Iberdrola
The Spanish firm, a global leader in renewable energy, plans to build 272 charging stations and their related connections to the power grid, with a total of 1,220 points.
Of these, 206 will have a minimum output power of 150 kilowatts and 794 of 350 kilowatts in Spain, while in Portugal, 220 devices with a minimum output power of 350 kilowatts will be installed.
These hubs will be located along the Core and Comprehensive Networks of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T).
For this project, they will have backing of 50 million euros.
Tesla Norway
The proposal from Tesla’s headquarters in Norway aims to deploy 498 charging devices for LDVs.
These chargers will be distributed across 50 locations in 11 different countries, including Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Slovakia, and Spain.
They will be part of the Core and Comprehensive Networks.
It is worth noting that the proposal includes both the deployment of new stations and the replacement of existing obsolete points that do not meet the tender requirements in terms of charging capacity and open accessibility.
The support for the US company will amount to nearly ten million euros.
