EU DRIVE-E Project Accelerates EV Charging Across Europe

Backed by fresh EU funding, DRIVE-E aims to build 1,400 chargers by 2027, refocusing Europe’s EV push on highways, freight, and cross-border travel

5 Jan 2026

Europe’s electric vehicle charging industry is turning its attention from cities to the long-distance roads that connect countries, ports and logistics hubs, following EU approval of a major new infrastructure programme.

In early 2025 the European Union approved funding for the DRIVE-E project, led by German utility E.ON alongside charging operator Eldrive and Slovak energy group ZSE. The consortium secured €45mn from the EU’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility phase II, allowing construction to begin on a network that will be built out through 2027.

The project will install about 1,400 new public charging points across 13 European countries, with an emphasis on major transport corridors linking western Europe with central and eastern markets. Of these, roughly 430 locations will include high-power chargers capable of serving electric trucks as well as passenger cars.

Central and eastern Europe have seen rapid growth in electric vehicle adoption in recent years, but charging infrastructure has lagged behind, particularly outside urban areas. Industry executives say this imbalance has become a constraint on long-distance travel and the electrification of freight.

Early investment in charging focused largely on city centres and private drivers, where demand was easiest to identify. Attention is now shifting to highways and cross-border routes, where patchy coverage and unreliable access still deter fleet operators and long-haul drivers. Without fast and predictable charging, electric trucks remain difficult to deploy at scale.

E.ON said the aim of DRIVE-E was to give drivers and logistics companies confidence that charging would be available on Europe’s busiest routes, rather than concentrated in metropolitan areas. Eldrive said the project would accelerate its expansion in central and eastern Europe while reducing financial risk. ZSE is providing local grid expertise to help connect new sites quickly and manage power supply.

Public support has become a central feature of large charging projects. Networks require heavy upfront investment, while usage builds gradually over time. EU funding under AFIF II is designed to bridge that gap and ensure infrastructure meets new bloc-wide rules that mandate minimum charging coverage along major roads.

Obstacles remain, including grid constraints and lengthy permitting processes. But with electric cars and trucks moving closer to the mainstream, demand for reliable, high-capacity charging is expected to rise sharply. DRIVE-E is intended to ensure Europe’s road network is prepared for that shift.