Türkiye leads Europe in electric vehicle fast-charging network

ISTANBUL

Türkiye currently ranks first in Europe in terms of socket power and the number of fast (DC) sockets per electric vehicle, according to Mustafa Yılmaz, president of the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EPDK).

The number of electric vehicles (EVs) has increased from 6,000 to 154,000 in the last two years, while the number of charging sockets has risen from only 3,000 to 26,000, according to Yılmaz.

One-third of the charging network consists of DC fast sockets, he said.

“In our country, there is approximately one charging socket for every six electric vehicles, while the EU average is 13,” Yılmaz furthered.

About half of the stations are “green charging stations”, according to the EPDK head.

He explained that three-quarters of the electricity consumed for charging EVs is sourced from renewable energy.

The authority has rolled out regulations designed to ensure that EVs are powered solely by renewable energy in line with Türkiye’s target of achieving net zero by 2025, Yılmaz said.

While only five companies were providing charging services in April 2022, the number of such licensed companies rose to 169, he added.

The EPDK terminated the licenses of 30 charging companies that failed to fulfill their obligations, Yılmaz informed.

They foresee the number of electric vehicles in Türkiye reaching 1.3 million and the number of charging points reaching 142,000 by 2030, according to Yılmaz.

By 2035, they expect the number of electric vehicles to increase to 3.3 million and the number of charging points to reach 273,000, he also said.

Türkiye’s EV market has been expanding fast in the last couple of years as the sales numbers reflect.

EV sales surged 39 percent year-on-year to 83,298 units in January-November, the latest data from the Automotive Distributors’ and Mobility Association (ODMD) showed.

EVs accounted for 9.9 percent of the market in the first 11 months of 2024, up from 7.1 percent in the same period last year.

In November alone, 13,554 EVs were sold, pointing to a 20.8 percent annual increase and a market share of 14.3 percent.

Türkiye aims rapidly to reach an annual production capacity of at least 1 million electric vehicles, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır told parliament last week.

"The government’s commitment to electric cars and new technologies paved the way for many global brands such as Ford, Toyota and Renault to move their new generation vehicle production to Türkiye,” the minister noted.