Lisbon, Feb. 4, 2025 (Lusa) - The president of the Energy Services Regulatory Authority (ERSE), Pedro Verdelho, said on Wednesday that the new legal framework for electric mobility is moving towards "an organisational model very similar to that of petrol stations".
"The AFIR (“Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation”) is moving towards an organisational model very similar to that of petrol stations, where competition takes place in what is known as the shopping ground," said the president.
Pedro Verdelho, speaking at the Infrastructure, Mobility and Housing Committee, said that with this new model, "the various users of electric vehicles, as they can move around, choose the most favourable charging stations in terms of prices".
The head of the entity also mentioned that for this to happen, operators are needed, "it requires capillarity, it requires options, which was not the case in the beginning," adding that the model must be viewed from a "dynamic perspective."
"It is also expected that in the future (...) there may also be competition in roaming platforms, that other roaming platforms may appear that may even challenge the public platform," said the president of the regulatory body, adding that "this model creates major challenges" for ERSE.
"In the other model, ERSE's role was relevant because we had a regulated roaming platform," he said, explaining that "with the definition of service quality parameters [...] and if they are not met, ERSE has its own penalty system, which unfortunately it does not have in some sectors of activity".
He noted that it has sanctioning powers "in the electricity sector, in the gas sector, but not in other sectors of activity," which he considers "a worrying issue" because the entity regulates, "but then there is the issue of sanctions."
The president of ERSE also mentioned the regulator's attempt to "democratise" electric mobility by transposing charging to homes.
"We have, for example, situations [...] and we are working in this area, which is to democratise electric mobility, which has to do with how we promote electric mobility in condominiums, without the need for networks," he said.
AJR/ADB // ADB.
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