One of the secondary goals of the European Union's Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, updated in spring 2024, is to support the broader adoption of electric vehicles. The directive requires the installation of charging points for electric cars and bicycles near both public buildings and residential properties.

It is an ambitious plan. The directive obliges all member states to ensure that in non-residential parking lots with more than 20 spaces, 50 percent of the spaces are pre-wired. As of January 1, 2027, half of those parking lots must have cable ends in place, ready to be connected to potential charging stations in the future. At least for now, Estonia does not appear to have enough electric cars on the roads to fill half of those spaces.

The largest parking lots in Estonia are located near shopping centers, and their owners are now throwing up their hands.

Nele Peil, CEO of the Estonian Traders Association, told ERR that, first of all, retailers are reluctant to install low-capacity chargers in parking lots — chargers that can take several hours to fully charge an electric vehicle.

"Retailers would much rather install fewer but ultra-fast chargers that can fully charge a battery in about 30 minutes. The directive only mandates at least the minimum charging capacity. That kind of capacity means a car needs to remain plugged in for 5 to 12 hours. No customer stays in a store that long," Peil said.

Second, retailers would prefer not to install pre-wiring at all, because no one can accurately predict actual future usage. "There's also the risk that the installed cables will be either too low-capacity or, conversely, overpowered. Miscalculated cables would have to be dug up and thrown away," Peil noted.

Traders: Parking lots would cost close to €2 billion

Creating this level of charging infrastructure in parking lots will certainly require a full review and reconstruction of the surrounding area's entire electrical system.

A study commissioned by the Ministry of Climate and conducted by consulting firm Energex found that for an average parking lot with 10 spaces and no existing charging capacity, the cost of pre-wiring would be around €500,000. If additional energy capacity is needed for the area, the cost of bringing the parking lot into compliance with the directive could approach €1 million.

Retail chain Maxima ran its own calculations and concluded that ensuring fast-charging capacity for just one large store's parking lot would require as much electricity as is used by the entire city of Pärnu.

"There are over a thousand commercial buildings in Estonia affected by this issue. If we meet the minimum requirements, do the pre-wiring, install chargers and strengthen the grid where needed, the total cost will be between €500 million and €2 billion — we're talking about absolutely massive sums," said Peil.

Hannamary Seli, head of sustainable construction at the Ministry of Climate, said that the updated directive from last spring allows for applying only the minimum requirements. In addition, exceptions and mitigations can be made if properly justified.

According to Seli, Estonia is not alone — many other member states are also struggling, and the country has been in contact with the European Commission. The Commission has agreed that in justified cases, instead of pre-wiring, a simple wire can be pulled through a conduit, which the ministry confirms is a significantly cheaper solution.

Seli acknowledged that the cost of building charging networks in parking lots will ultimately be borne by property owners. However, the ministry is trying not to overextend the requirements to avoid placing an excessive burden on Estonian businesses. "We will transpose as little of the directive as possible, and only as much as is absolutely necessary," Seli noted.

According to a forecast by grid operator Elering, by the end of 2030, the number of electric vehicles in Estonia could exceed 90,000, with more than 80,000 of those being light vehicles that are most practical to charge near buildings. According to Nele Peil, this means building such extensive charging infrastructure would cost €15,000 per vehicle.

Peeter Tali (Eesti 200), chair of the Riigikogu European Union Affairs Committee (ELAK), admitted that the situation is regrettable.

Tali said one must look back to 2022, when Estonia agreed to the directive with certain reservations. Although nearly 70 organizations were involved in the discussions, Tali said the risks that were considered at the time were different, and the issue of pre-wiring cables may not have received adequate attention. In the end, the directive was approved by the Riigikogu's Economic Affairs Committee and the EU Affairs Committee.

"This situation is a sign that European regulations must be taken seriously. That applies to everyone — ministry officials, diplomats and politicians alike. Otherwise, we approve things formally and end up deeply worried a few years later," Tali said.

The controversial directive was also approved by the European Parliament. Among Estonian MEPs, Social Democrats Marina Kaljurand and Sven Mikser voted in favor, while all other Estonian representatives voted against it.

The requirement to electrify parking spaces hits especially hard in more sparsely populated member states, where there are relatively more stores with parking lots. Finland and several other countries are facing the same problem.

Tali acknowledged that reversing the directive would be difficult. Amending it would require the agreement of at least 15 member states, which must collectively represent at least 60 percent of the EU's population. While not entirely impossible, he said, it would be very challenging.

Nele Peil added that she, too, has been in contact with the European Commission, but the signals she's received indicate the directive is considered necessary and no changes are planned.

According to Tali, expectations for the mass adoption of electric vehicles were overly optimistic at the beginning of this decade, and that likely explains the assumptions behind the projected need for pre-wiring.

As of early 2025, Estonia had more than one million registered vehicles, of which fewer than 10,000 used electricity as their primary energy source. Thus, vehicles requiring charging currently make up just 0.9 percent of the entire fleet.

Eighty percent of Estonia's electric vehicles are registered in either Harju County or Tartu County, meaning they are primarily owned by people living in or near larger cities.

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