Targeted urban planning can reduce the number of new public electric vehicle chargers cities need to build by more than a quarter.

A new study by the Clean Cities Campaign analysing infrastructure in London, Madrid, Paris and Warsaw reveals that smart planning can cut the number of required chargers if cities steer infrastructure towards workplaces, destinations, and private parking. Cities must also make greater use of higher-power charging and pair these changes with a modest reduction in car ownership.

The Taking Charge research reinforces that smart policy choices and strategic placement matter far more than sheer charger counts. Targeted planning limits the amount of infrastructure required, reducing costs, freeing up public space and making public charging work for people who cannot charge at home.

The analysis shows that cities have taken vastly different approaches to rolling out public charge points. Among the four cities in the study, Paris leads the way with 5.3 public chargers per 1,000 residents, followed by London (3.2), Madrid (1.0), and Warsaw (0.5). This ranges from dense networks of slow on-street charging in Paris and London to fewer, faster hubs in Warsaw and Madrid. These contrasting starting points offer a set of shared, transferable lessons for cities across Europe.

All four cities require major expansion by 2030 and 2035 to meet anticipated demand. But poor rollout can reinforce urban inequality, as charge points tend to cluster in central, commercially attractive districts, while outer and some lower-income neighbourhoods are often underserved.

The key test is whether people without a driveway can charge: just 21% of Europe’s electric car drivers live in a flat, against 44% of conventional car drivers. This suggests electric cars have a lower take-up by this group and need to be given special attention in charging infrastructure strategies.

Policy choices will be critical to meet future demand in a cost-effective and equitable way. Steering demand towards workplaces, destinations and private or home charging where possible, alongside greater use of higher-power charging, cuts the number of public charge points needed by around a fifth. Combine that with a 10% reduction in car use – an ambition several European cities have already met through better public transport, cycling and shared mobility – and the required build-out falls by more than a quarter by both 2030 and 2035.

None of this removes the need to expand. Every one of the four cities must grow its network substantially before 2030, and further by 2035 to meet the needs of growing electric vehicle fleets. But the number of chargers is only part of the story. The real test is whether charging is affordable, reliable and available where people actually need it, especially for residents in flats or terraced housing who cannot charge easily at home. According to the EU’s 2023 consumer monitor, being unable to charge at home is among the most cited drawbacks of going electric, and drivers who lack a private driveway risk being left behind as the transition accelerates.

The report calls on city governments to develop charging masterplans that map demand district by district and prioritise areas most dependent on public charging. It also urges cities to steer charging away from the kerb where possible, including into workplaces, retail car parks, and residential garages.

The study, which covers battery electric passenger cars and individual vans, builds on an earlier report From Plan to Plug, which offers cities a practical pathway for charging rollout.

Barbara Stoll, senior director and co-founder of Clean Cities, said: “Cities should not have to choose between clean air and liveable streets. With the right policy choices, charging can support the shift to electric mobility while freeing up public space, cutting costs and making sure no-one is left behind. But left unplanned, it risks locking us into a more expensive, more unequal and more cluttered future.”