THE HAGUE, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Netherlands' public charging network for electric vehicles (EVs) now covers 83 percent of the country, making it the European Union's leader in terms of public charging points, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management said on Tuesday.
The Netherlands is accelerating the rollout of public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, adding an average of 1,600 charging points per month, the ministry said in a statement.
The expansion has raised nationwide coverage to 83 percent, up seven percentage points from last year, said the ministry, citing the latest progress report of the National Charging Infrastructure Agenda (NAL).
"The Netherlands therefore has the highest number of public charging points in the European Union," said the ministry.
"With charging facilities within walking distance everywhere, electric driving is becoming practically feasible for more and more Dutch people and companies," it said.
Dutch Authorities are also working to improve price transparency at fast-charging stations. A task force has been set up to standardize pricing displays, ensuring drivers can see charging costs in advance, in a similar way to fuel prices.
To support freight transport, the ministry is investing 65.5 million euros (about 76 million U.S. dollars) in power connections at motorway service areas, enabling future fast-charging for electric trucks.
In addition, 96 million euros in subsidies has been made available for charging infrastructure in logistics and construction, helping businesses switch to zero-emission vehicles.
The NAL, launched in 2019, brings together Dutch government bodies, companies, grid operators and research institutions to coordinate charging infrastructure development.
The plan foresees nearly 2 million EVs on the road by 2030 and a fully emissions-free transport sector by 2050. (One euro = 1.16 U.S. dollars) ■