Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1444 of 17 June 2021 supplementing Directive 2014/94/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council with regards standards for recharging points for electric buses (Text with EEA relevance)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Directive 2014/94/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 on the deployment of alternative fuels infrastructure⁽¹⁾, and in particular Article 4(14) thereof,

Whereas:

1. Directive 2014/94/EU establishes that technical specifications for the interoperability of recharging and refuelling points should be specified in European or international standards. For standards not yet adopted, standardisation should be based on standards that are being developed.

2. Pursuant to Article 10(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council⁽²⁾, the Commission requested⁽³⁾ the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (Cenelec) to develop and adopt appropriate European standards, or to amend existing ones, for electricity supply for road and, maritime transport and inland navigation; hydrogen supply for road transport; and natural gas, including biomethane supply for road and, maritime transport and inland navigation.

3. Following the implementation of Commission request M/533, CEN and Cenelec have developed the standards containing the technical specifications for recharging points for electric buses referred to in point 1.6 of Annex II to Directive 2014/94/EU.

4. CEN and Cenelec have informed the Commission that Type 2 connectors, as described in standard EN 62196-2 are the most appropriate type for alternating current (AC) normal and high power recharging points for electric buses.

5. CEN and Cenelec have informed the Commission that connectors of the combined charging system ‘Combo2’, as described in standard EN 62196-3, should be used for direct current (DC) normal and high power recharging points for electric buses.

6. CEN and Cenelec have informed the Commission, that standard EN 50696 should be applied for contact interface automated devices for conductive recharging electric buses in mode 4, according to EN 61851-23-1, in order to ensure interoperability. This standard, together with the above-mentioned standards, will play a crucial role for the deployment of electric buses in cities.

7. Pursuant to Directive (EU) 2019/1161 of the European Parliament and of the Council⁽⁴⁾, minimum national shares of up to 22,5 % for 2021-25 and 32,5 % for 2026-30, of public procurement are reserved for zero-emission buses. With ever more public transport authorities and operators switching to zero-emission buses in order to reach these targets, the full interoperability of vehicle and recharging infrastructure is becoming imperative.

8. The interoperability of the different types of recharging for electric buses should be ensured to create a level-playing field for manufacturers and operators and enable economies of scale while ensuring openness to technological solutions. It should further enhance the use of smart charging including vehicle to grid services.

9. The Member State experts, consulted through the Committee on Alternative Fuels Infrastructure, and Member State Transport Attachés, provided their advice on the European standards and technical specifications that are the subject of this delegated act.

10. The Commission should supplement point 1.6 of Annex II to Directive 2014/94/EU accordingly with the references to the European standards and technical specifications developed by CEN and Cenelec.

11. When new technical specifications in Annex II to Directive 2014/94/EU are to be implemented by means of delegated acts, a transition period of 24 months is to apply,

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