A weak economy and declining vehicle sales are only part of the problem, ACEA said, but slow progress on developing charging standards and a lack of co-ordinated approaches to incentives, infrastructure and R&D are also to blame.

The association has recently lowered its expectations of plug-in vehicle market penetration, expected to be in between 2% and 8% over the next decade varying by manufacturer depending on their product strategies.

A standardised connection between the cars and charging equipment is considered to be the prerequisite for market growth. ACEA believes this will create economies of scale, provide predictability for investors and reduce costs for all stakeholders, and said it was concerned by the lack of progress in doing so.

Ivan Hodac, ACEA secretary general, said: ‘It will only be possible to book real progress if there is full cooperation between utility providers, infrastructure companies, the energy sector, standardisation bodies and the automotive industry – with the full support of national governments and the European institutions.’