If coupled with a low-carbon electricity mix, electric vehicles (EVs) can represent an important technology for transport decarbonization and local pollutants abatement. Yet, to ensure large-scale EVs adoption, an adequate charging stations network must be developed. This paper provides the first comprehensive bottom-up analysis of the EV charging network in Europe. Combining a crowd-sourced database of charging stations with accessibility data and algorithms, we produce maps of the travel time to the most accessible EV charging station across Europe, we evaluate the charging points density and the number of active operators in different areas. We find that although recent years have witnessed a notable expansion of the EV charging network, stark inequalities persist across and within countries, both in terms of accessibility and of the charging points available to users. Our results allow for a better understanding of some of the key challenges ahead for ensuring mass EVs adoption throughout Europe and thus potentially reducing the environmental impact of the transport sector.

如果与低碳电力混合使用，电动汽车（EV）可以代表运输脱碳和减少本地污染物的一项重要技术。然而，为了确保大规模采用电动汽车，必须建立足够的充电站网络。本文对欧洲的电动汽车充电网络进行了首次全面的自下而上的分析。将众包的充电站数据库与可访问性数据和算法相结合，我们绘制了前往欧洲最易接近的EV充电站的行驶时间图，我们评估了充电点密度和不同地区的活跃运营商数量。我们发现，尽管近年来见证了EV充电网络的显着扩展，但各国之间以及国家内部仍存在严重的不平等现象，无论是在可访问性方面还是在用户可用的收费点方面。我们的研究结果使人们能够更好地理解为确保整个欧洲大规模采用电动汽车而面临的一些关键挑战，从而有可能减少交通运输部门对环境的影响。