In the EU, the issue of regulating the placement of electric vehicle charging stations within populated areas is primarily governed by the Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings. At the same time, Ukraine lacks a single document that compiles the basic rules for installing charging infrastructure, especially within cities. At least 2 Laws, 4 building norms and standards.
Therefore, with regard to the development of electric mobility and the process of European integration, we examined the alignment of Ukrainian legislation with the EU Directive and, based on interviews with stakeholders in the electric mobility and energy sectors, identified other barriers hindering the development of charging infrastructure in Ukraine.
Barrier 1. The lack of a unified legislative framework
Currently, Ukrainian legislation lacks a unified structure regarding charging infrastructure. In fact, some of the relevant terminology found in the EU Directive is absent from Ukrainian legislation. For example, this applies to issues such as “pre-cabling,” “smart recharging,” and so on. These technological aspects are important for the further sustainable development of electric mobility.
- Relevant terminology must be added to Ukrainian legislation, specifically definitions of the terms “recharging point,” “pre-cabling,” “roofed car park,” “smart recharging,” “bi-directional recharging,” and “car park physically adjacent to a building,” which are key terms in EU Directive 2024/1275.
Instead of addressing needs only after they arise, it is recommended to adopt European best practices and invest in forward-looking development. Identifying these aspects and incorporating them during construction and renovation will significantly reduce the cost of installing charging stations in the future.. - Set development goals for electric vehicle charging infrastructure for non-residential and public buildings and harmonize current requirements. Because standards and requirements regarding the same issues may now vary under Ukrainian law.
- A rational solution is to introduce requirements for installing one charging station for every 5–10 parking spaces and ensuring 50% pre-cabling for non-residential buildings. Thus, the implementation of these standards will allow Ukraine to align the pace of transport decarbonization with that of the EU.
Barrier 2. Administrative gaps in processes
According to European legislation, cities are required to promote the development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. At the same time, in Ukrainian cities, the process of installing charging stations by management companies and homeowners’ associations is neither transparent nor straightforward. Nevertheless, there are quite a few businesses in Ukraine that specialize in corporate installation of charging stations, but even they face procedural challenges and a lack of transparency in the system.
- Ensuring the “right to plug” for individual users in apartment buildings. It is recommended to develop regulations that allow for the installation of charging stations for public use in the courtyards of apartment buildings, provided this does not conflict with safety, connection rules, or landscaping requirements.
- Review the administrative process for installing and connecting charging stations. Ukraine needs to simplify the process and make it easy to understand and clearly outline the steps for private and business users. This step is crucial for transparency, access to information, and oversight at all stages.
Barrier 3. The financial aspect of the issue
Building infrastructure for electric vehicles requires significant investment, capital expenditures, and predictable payback models. Under these conditions, state and local regulations play a crucial role in incentivizing and minimizing the resources required to support EVs. With new restrictions for commercial players, more EV owners are choosing to run an extension cord from their apartment to their car and pay 4.32 UAH per 1 kW instead of 30 UAH at official charging stations.
To balance market conditions and reduce conflicts between building residents and electric vehicle owners, we propose the following steps:
- Long-term planning of connection incentives and differentiating connection costs based on the type of location and the purpose of the charging station. For example, for homeowners’ associations and residential complexes, the focus should be on slow overnight charging, which does not overload the power grid.
- Establishment of a targeted grant program for homeowners’ associations under the Decarbonization Fund.
- There should also be incentives for installing charging stations alongside solar panels on the roofs of apartment buildings and for local energy storage systems. This will allow vehicles to be charged using renewable energy sources, minimizing the load on the general grid, as well as supporting buildings during blackouts.
Barrier 4. Outdated Technological Development of Networks
Technological standards ensure seamless interaction between electric vehicles, charging stations, and the urban power grid. This determines charging efficiency, battery lifespan, and the load on the central power grid.
From the perspective of technological requirements, in addition to fire safety, it is important to consider the following aspects, in accordance with the Directive:
- Support for bidirectional charging for all new charging stations in buildings. According to the Directive, the integration of buildings into the overall energy system and the decarbonization process depend to a large extent on the implementation of the latest charging technologies.
Ukrainian legislation does not contain such legal terms, and according to the State Building Standards (DBN), connection is possible provided that equipment is installed that performs “automatic regulation and limitation of electricity consumption.”
We recommend adding the relevant terms to Ukrainian legislation, as mentioned above, as well as increasing the number of charging stations that support bidirectional charging technology (V2G/V2H/V2L – Vehicle-to-Grid/Vehicle-to-Home/Vehicle-to-Load). It is advisable to install them in residential and office buildings to distribute the load throughout the day. - Implementation of smart charging support. Modern technological standards regulate data transmission protocols. This allows operators and the city to implement dynamic power balancing: charging stations can automatically reduce consumption during peak load hours on the city’s power grid and accelerate charging at night when there is a surplus of generation.
- Standardization of connectors. For electric mobility to become widespread, drivers should not have to worry about whether a station’s connector will fit their vehicle. Establishing a single standard will enable the creation of universal hubs that support various types of vehicles.
Compliance with and implementation of all these aspects, as specified in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD 2024/1275), will help promote electric vehicles, bring us closer to our transportation decarbonization goals, and improve cities’ energy resilience.
Author: Nataliia Volyk, Transport policy expert at NGO “Ecoaction”
nv@ecoaction.org.ua