Linda Jackson, the CEO of Peugeot, recently expressed her views on the role of governments in developing the infrastructure necessary for the transition to electric cars. In an interview with Top Gear at the Paris Motor Show, she emphasized that it is not up to car manufacturers to set up charging stations.
According to Jackson, it is the responsibility of states to deploy charging infrastructure to stimulate the electric vehicle market. She stated, “If that were the case, brands would have installed their own gas stations 50 years ago, but things did not happen that way.” She also added that governments have a crucial role to play not only in the installation of charging stations but also in introducing financial measures to encourage electric car sales.
Regarding infrastructure, Europe has recently surpassed 900,000 charging stations. France ranks third with 119,481 chargers, which is encouraging but insufficient to reach the ambitious goal of 8.8 million charging points in Europe by 2030. The question remains whether Linda Jackson’s call will be heard and if governments will take the necessary steps to accelerate this process.