Who is investing in European charging stations, and who is supplying them?
Today, let’s take a closer look. The landscape in Europe is actually quite similar to what we see in China. Let’s first talk about who is investing.
Currently, there are roughly three main types of players investing in charging infrastructure across Europe:
1. Local Public Utility Companies – you can think of them as local state-owned enterprises (SOEs). These include public utilities in each country, such as water, gas, and electric power companies. For example, EnBW in Germany, ENGIE in France, and Enel in Italy are all local power utilities or national state-owned enterprises. Together, they currently account for approximately 30% to 40% of the European public charging station investment market.
2. Major Energy Groups – global oil and petrochemical giants like BP, Shell, and TotalEnergies are now also actively investing in public charging infrastructure across Europe.
3. Independent Third-Party CPOs (Charge Point Operators) – for instance, Ionity (a joint venture between BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Siemens, and others), Allego, and Fastned.
Now, let’s move on to who is supplying the charging hardware.
In Europe, we typically distinguish between AC chargers and DC chargers.
In the AC charger market, the current leading suppliers include Zaptec, Ohme, Easee, and Wallbox, among others. While these are European brands, much of their actual manufacturing—or at least a significant portion of their components—comes from China.
In the DC charger market, Europe is seeing a pronounced head‑concentration effect. The dominant players include Alpitronic (Italy), Kempower (Finland), as well as established local incumbents like ABB and Siemens.
Through our tracking over recent years, we have observed that Alpitronic stands out for three key reasons:
Strong product performance – their chargers are known for outstanding stability and reliability.
Prompt after‑sales service – they respond quickly and effectively.
Continuous product iteration – they consistently update and improve their offerings.
These factors largely explain the highly concentrated market structure we see in Europe today.
Currently, all‑in‑one (integrated) DC chargers remain the mainstream choice across the European market. Split‑type (modular) configurations, which are more suited for heavy‑duty truck charging or large‑scale depots, are only now beginning to gain traction.
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With a strong focus on product quality, customer satisfaction, and innovation, HOTSON is your trusted partner in DC charging station solution. For consultation or more information, please visit our website or contact our sales team directly. We look forward to working with you to promote industry development together!
