FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The number of publicly accessible charging points for electric vehicles (EV) jumped 60% in 2019, the biggest increase in three years and outpacing sales of battery-powered cars, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).
FILE PHOTO: A Tesla is charged at an electric car supercharger station in Los Angeles, California, U.S. August 2, 2018. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
In its annual Global EV Outlook, the IEA said the number of public slow and fast charging spots reached 862,118 globally, with China, the world’s largest car market, taking a 60% share.
Fast chargers accounted for 31% of the total. The IEA defines slow charging as providing power of up to 22 kilowatts (kW), taking hours to charge a vehicle battery. Fast chargers, including Tesla’s (TSLA.O) superchargers, can take minutes.
“China continues to lead in the rollout of publicly accessible chargers, particularly fast chargers, which are suited to its dense urban areas with less opportunity for private charging at home,” the report said.