A new dataset from the US-based charging network operator ChargePoint suggests that the next constraint in the electric mobility transition may not be vehicle supply but rather charging capacity.
As EV adoption accelerates, charging demand is beginning to outpace infrastructure expansion. Utilisation rates are rising faster than new chargers are being deployed.
ChargePoint, one of the world’s largest open EV charging network providers, operates hundreds of thousands of charging ports across North America and Europe and supplies both hardware and network management software to site hosts.
31 billion electric kilometers
In its latest network update, the company reported that charging sessions across its platform increased by roughly one-third year-on-year in 2025, while the number of activated charging ports grew at roughly half that pace.
ChargePoint says it has enabled 19.3 billion electric miles (around 31 billion kilometers) since its founding, with nearly 60% of that total occurring in the past two years alone, underscoring the rapid growth in charging demand.
More than 100 million charging sessions were recorded on its network last year, with over one million unique drivers charging monthly.
Utilisation rising faster
The implication is clear: utilisation is rising faster than infrastructure expansion. While the total number of chargers continues to increase, each charger is being used more intensively. That dynamic, if sustained, can point to the early formation of a capacity bottleneck.
Importantly, ChargePoint does not typically own most of the charging stations on its network. Instead, it provides the technology backbone for commercial property owners, fleets, workplaces, and public charging providers.
Its dataset, therefore, reflects real-world usage patterns across a broad ecosystem rather than activity at a handful of proprietary sites. As such, the figures offer a valuable barometer for market conditions.
Aligning with EU trends
The signal aligns with broader European trends. EV sales growth in Europe remains robust, particularly in corporate fleet segments driven by fiscal incentives and emissions regulation.
Public charging infrastructure has expanded rapidly and is expected to exceed 1.2 million public charging points across the EU by the end of 2025.
However, the European Commission’s 2030 ambition of 3.5 million public chargers implies that annual installation rates must accelerate considerably.
The structural challenge is shifting. Early-stage deployment focused heavily on AC chargers in urban and residential areas. As battery capacities increase and cross-border electric travel becomes routine, demand for high-power DC charging along TEN-T corridors and motorway networks is rising.
These installations require higher grid capacity, more complex permitting, and greater capital investment. Scaling them fast enough to keep up with vehicle uptake is more difficult than adding lower-power urban points.
Belgium’s emerging tension
Belgium illustrates both progress and emerging tension. With more than 100,000 public and semi-public charging points installed by 2025, Belgium ranks among Europe’s better-performing markets on a per-capita basis.
The country’s rapid corporate fleet electrification has driven EV registrations upward, particularly in company car segments.
Yet regional disparities persist. Flanders accounts for the majority of installed public charging points, reflecting proactive regional policy and dense population centres.
Wallonia has historically lagged, but is accelerating deployment. The Brussels-Capital Region, while dense in urban chargers, has a limited geographic scale and significant commuter inflows that influence peak demand.
Belgium’s overall EV-to-charger ratio currently appears relatively balanced compared with many EU peers. However, if EV stock continues to grow at current rates — particularly in fleets that depend on reliable workplace and public charging — utilisation pressure could increase quickly.
Central location in Europe
The expansion of high-power DC infrastructure will be particularly important given Belgium’s central location in European freight and passenger corridors.
ChargePoint’s data should therefore be interpreted as an early indicator rather than an alarm bell. Rising utilisation reflects healthy demand and improved return on infrastructure investment.
But if infrastructure growth does not keep pace, congestion, waiting times, and uneven regional access could become more visible friction points in the transition.
For European policymakers and infrastructure operators, the message is increasingly quantitative rather than ideological. The question is no longer whether EV adoption will grow. The question is whether the physical and grid backbones can scale quickly enough to support it.
