AMSTERDAM - People who drive an electric car can charge it in more and more public places. The number of public charging points increased by more than 30 percent last year, according to an analysis by ANP/LocalFocus. An increase was seen in almost all municipalities. At the end of last year, the Netherlands had more than 85,000 charging points. 

Amsterdam tops the list. At the end of 2021, motorists could charge their electric vehicle in 7,748 places in the capital. Rotterdam follows at some distance with 5,009 charging points, The Hague had 4553 and the municipality of Utrecht 3263. 

Both public and semi-public charging stations were counted –– for example, semi-public charging stations might be behind a gate in parking garages. Compared to the number of kilometers of road, the Netherlands has had the most charging stations in Europe for years. 

Compared to the number of inhabitants, the Zeeland municipality of Noord-Beveland leads the way. At the end of the year, it had 111 charging points. Only about 7,500 people live on the island, but it is visited by many tourists. The same goes for Veere, which came in no. 2. The biggest climber was Aa en Hunze in Drenthe, where the number of charging points quadrupled in a year. One charging station can also have multiple charging points. 

Figures from the Regional Climate Monitor were used for the analysis. The national government collects data on climate and energy policy, and electric transport is an important part of this. Because electric cars do not emit CO2, nitrogen oxides and other polluting substances, the government wants to promote their use. How climate-friendly an electric car is depends on several factors, such as the durability of the electricity with which it is charged. 

The government has a subsidy scheme to increase the number of electric cars, but the pot of 71 million euros for new electric cars has been completely empty since last week. The government contribution amounted to 3,350 euros per car, which was enough for more than 21,000 new cars. Now, anyone who buys a new electric car in the rest of this year will have to pay for it all by themselves. A new funding round will be launched in January 2023. There is still some budget left for second-hand plug-in cars. 

The European Union wants to completely get rid of new cars that run on fossil fuels by 2035. The Dutch government hopes to achieve this goal by 2030. 

According to Natuur & Milieu, the question is whether this will be possible with the current policy. For many consumers, the high purchase price is still a stumbling block, according to the environmental organization on the basis of a poll by research agency I&O.