A draft directive has been endorsed by the Transport and Tourism Committee this month setting deadlines to establish publicly accessible infrastructure for hydrogen, natural gas and electric vehicles in all member states over the next two decades.

The final agreement, due in Spring 2014, will set out a target of at least 70,000 public access charging points for electric vehicles across the UK – a 14-fold increase. This will form part of network of 456,000 units spread across Europe, including 86,000 in Germany, 72,000 in Italy and 55,000 in France, supplied by green energy where possible.

Investment is to be led by the private sector, with member states providing tax and public procurement incentives. To make the roll-out easier for suppliers and drivers, connections will be standardised across the network from January 1st 2019 – Type 2 for standard charging rates and the new Combo connector for fast charging. In the interim, units can also have a CHAdeMO connector.

Alternative fuels are also being backed, targeting hydrogen filling stations every 186 miles by 2030, LNG stations every 248 miles and CNG stations every 100km.

The end goal, the committee said, is a 60% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050 and a cut in the dependence on oil. Member states will have to target reductions in urban congestions and establishing electric public transport networks to help reach these targets.