Infrastructure Briefing — October 1, 2025
AFIR forces Member States to deliver the first round of TEN-T core network charging and hydrogen targets by 31 December 2025, so operators must close Q4 construction, telemetry, and payment compliance gaps now to avoid infringement referrals.
Executive briefing: Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 (AFIR) sets binding corridor milestones that take effect on 31 December 2025. By year end, Member States must guarantee along every direction of the TEN-T core network at least 400 kW of combined recharging capacity every 60 kilometres—including a 150 kW high-power connector—and deploy hydrogen refuelling stations every 200 kilometres. National ministries and the European Commission are reviewing Q4 status reports, with non-compliant corridors facing infringement procedures in early 2026. Charge-point operators, utilities, and fleet managers therefore need energised assets, operational telemetry, and payment interoperability validated before the December deadline.
Key infrastructure signals
- Coverage verification. Member States must submit geospatial inventories showing corridor coverage, minimum power levels, and payment interoperability to the Commission’s AFIR monitoring platform.
- Reliability requirements. AFIR Article 5 enforces a 97% annual availability threshold and 24/7 helpline obligations that operators must evidence through uptime telemetry and service logs.
- Open access payments. Stations must support ad-hoc card or contactless payments without subscriptions, compelling network operators to modernise payment stacks and reconciliation processes.
Operational priorities
- Asset certification. Validate metering accuracy, interoperability testing, and OCPI data feeds before national regulators perform spot inspections.
- Maintenance readiness. Ensure operations teams can meet the one-hour remote troubleshooting and 24-hour on-site repair expectations embedded in AFIR service standards.
- Hydrogen logistics. Document supply contracts, safety procedures, and dispenser availability to cover the hydrogen refuelling mandate for the core network.
Enablement moves
- Coordinate with DSOs and TSOs to confirm grid reinforcements, capacity reservations, and smart-charging controls are energised along the core corridors.
- Publish customer-facing uptime dashboards and pricing disclosures to demonstrate AFIR transparency compliance.
- Bundle corridor remediation plans—land rights, permitting, and contractor scheduling—so Member State reports show credible paths to December completion.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure
- European Commission AFIR implementation portal
Zeph Tech tracks AFIR corridor build-out, reconciles telemetry with regulatory templates, and orchestrates remediation for charging gaps that risk Commission enforcement.