According to the data of the European Alternative Fuels Observatory (EAFO), the number of electric vehicle charging units in Turkiye in 2021 was 2 thousand 332. According to TEHAD data, this number rose to 3,457 in about two years.
Electric vehicles are one of the rising trends in the automotive industry in the last decade. Today, the decrease in fossil fuels and the negative effects of global warming have increased the interest in electric vehicles. It has also impacted the need for EV charging stations, defined as devices that use electrical energy to charge all fully electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Electric vehicles basically operate using electrical energy stored in the battery.
Number of electric vehicles from 2020 to 2022
The demand for electric vehicles is increasing in Turkiye. According to the Electric and Hybrid Vehicles Association (TEHAD), while there were 844 electric vehicles in 2020, the total electric car market increased to 2,849 in 2021. Within a year, the number of vehicles increased by 237%. In 2022, 7,733 electric vehicles were sold. Electric car brands sold in Turkiye include Audi, BMW, Citroën, Hyundai, Jaguar, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Mini Cooper SE, Peugeot, Porsche Taycan, Renault Zoe, Seres 3, Skywell ET5, Subaru Solterra and Volvo. However, it is a fact that the use and sales of electric vehicles in Turkiye are lower than in European countries. The reason for this is that the consumer cannot reach the electric car, pricing and taxes are high.
One-third of the charging stations are located in Istanbul
In parallel with this, the number of electric vehicle charging units is very important. According to European Alternative Fuels Observatory (EAFO) data; The number of electric vehicle charging units in Turkiye in 2021 was 2 thousand 332. According to TEHAD data, this number rose to 3,457 in about two years.
There are 1265 electric vehicle charging stations in Istanbul. There are 320 charging stations in Ankara, 235 charging stations in Izmir, 132 charging stations in Antalya and 128 charging stations in Mugla. In other words, one third of the charging stations are located in Istanbul. The distribution of charging stations varies according to the number of electric vehicles and regional traffic density. It is known that the total installed power of the charging units is at the level of 76 thousand kilowatts. Electric vehicle charging units are located in urban centers rather than rural areas or highways.
In Turkiye, it is expected that electric vehicles will reach 25% of the market by 2030 and the stock of electric vehicles will reach 1.6 million by the same year. It is aimed to establish 100 thousand electric vehicle charging stations. Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA) officials agree that with the acceleration to be created by the domestic car Togg, there will be an increase in the number of charging stations.
The charging process of electric vehicles is divided into two as alternating current (Alternative Current – AC) and direct current (Direct Current – DC). 15 percent of electric vehicle charging stations in Turkiye are DC stations, also called fast charging stations.
Licensed companies
In March 2022, the Ministry of Industry and Technology announced a new support package for technological initiatives. According to the regulation published in the Official Gazette, it was stated that non-refundable support will be given to vehicle charging station investments, up to 75% of the investment and ₺20 million.
About a month later, the procedures and principles were determined for the establishment of charging units and stations, where electrical energy is supplied to electric vehicles, the operation of the charging network and stations connected to the charging network, and the provision of charging services. Accordingly, it has been announced that the charging network operation will be carried out within the scope of the charging network operator license obtained from EMRA and the license cannot be transferred under any circumstances.
It was stated that the legal person to apply for a license must be established as a joint stock company or limited liability company in accordance with the provisions of the Turkish Commercial Code. It was announced that the minimum capital should not be less than the amount determined according to the procedures and principles issued by the Board, excluding applications made by state economic enterprises.
In June 2022, the first companies that the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA) granted electric vehicle charging network operator licenses were announced. Armatec, EnYakit, FCTR – FullCharger, RHG Enerturk and Kalyon EV Charging are among the five companies that have obtained a 49-year charging network operator license. 5 companies are the first companies to be granted a charging network operator license in Turkiye within the scope of the Charging Service Regulation.
In July 2022, Trugo, ZES, Esarj, Tora Charging, Sharon, Sharhet, CW Enerji, Sharz.Net, WAT and Astor Enerji announced that they had also obtained licenses in Turkiye.
Green Science, Neva Charge, Voltrun, E-POwer, Dumanoglu Energy, White Rose, Greenwatt, Aykon, Samurai, Isomer, Beefull, Aksa Charge, Vizyoneks, Binbin Scooters, Plego Advertise Charge, Mithra Pod, Ar Armaksis Ar Verdepunto, Evtech, Carbonage, FastGo, Petroo, Pet Muhendislik, Halica, Gioev, Antkem, K Automotive, Multi Force, Esasyon, ERC System, Bibutton, Orange Engineering, Vitalen, Acikel Autocharge, Monokon Elektrik, Cazador, Epsis, Getasolar, Pirim Gida, Clixolar, 360 Energy, Alaska, Tuncmatik, B-Charge, Arcona Consultancy, RST Charge Point, G-Charge, Interdata, FZY Energy, Royco, Fotec, Petrodem, Lumhouse, Mycharge, EEE, Ecobox, Chargeplus, Regionm Plus, Bladeco, Volti, Borenco, tech Care, The Giftad, Voltpo, Ispirli, Design & Network Imaj, Wago, Avrupakent Energy, Arenya, Solarsarj, OtoWatt, Zeplin, Arsima, Karbon Neutr Konya and Everstart have obtained licenses.
Turkiye has come a long way in establishing an electric vehicle charging unit. However, sales of electric vehicle charging stations are expected to increase with the departure of the domestic car Togg from the band in 2023.
Source: Webrazzi / Prepared by Irem Yildiz