EV Charging Infrastructure: Transatlantic Insights

Guest post by Jakob Kleihues from ENAPI

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Ciara Gumsheimer & Jakob Kleihues
May 13, 2025

👋 Welcome

The world of electric mobility continues to evolve at a rapid pace, with infrastructure development playing a critical role in adoption across continents. This week, we’re excited to share a transatlantic perspective on EV charging landscapes, highlighting the contrasts between European and American approaches, featuring a guest post from Jakob Kleihues, Co-Founder and CEO of ENAPI.

Jakob’s journey is noteworthy. Having worked in the venture capital industry, he transitioned to the EV charging sector through his work at Bonnet, where he was responsible for expanding roaming partnerships. His deep dive into EV charging roaming ultimately inspired him to found ENAPI in 2024. We are proud to have backed ENAPI as part of our Project A studio, witnessing firsthand its impressive trajectory. ENAPI has already achieved large milestones, recently securing €7.5m in Seed Funding and connecting more than 400,000 chargepoints and 8 out of 10 leading EMPs in Europe.

Jakob offers a comparative analysis that sheds light on where opportunities may lie for innovation and collaboration in the EV charging space. As the global transition to electric mobility accelerates, understanding these regional differences becomes increasingly important for supply chain leaders looking to navigate this evolving landscape and identify emerging opportunities.

Bridging EV Charging Cultures: Thoughts from Both Sides of the Atlantic

Spending time across the U.S. EV ecosystem this year, from New York, to Austin and the tech companies in San Francisco, offered a rare window into how differently, yet ambitiously, the U.S. and European markets are approaching the transition to electric mobility.

While the adoption numbers speak clearly (Europe remains ahead in both EV penetration and public charging density), the thinking, ambition, and technology I encountered in the U.S. offer real reason for admiration. This post isn't about who is ahead - it's about why these ecosystems have evolved differently, and which insights can be learned from either.

Different Speeds, Different Strengths

At the end of 2023, EVs made up over 20% of new car sales in Europe (Statista), compared to roughly 10% in the U.S. (Auto Innovators). Public charger density mirrors this: Europe boasts more than 750,000 public charge points across the continent (EVBoosters), while the U.S. surpassed 180,000 late last year (U.S. DOT).

Europe's advantage here comes from policy cohesion. With EU-level mandates such as AFIR requiring fast chargers every 60 km along major corridors (AFIR Overview), and interoperability baked into regulation (think contactless payment, Plug & Charge support, and real-time pricing transparency), the European user experience is highly standardised. Roaming is commonplace; drivers expect to charge across networks and borders without thinking twice.

Meanwhile, the U.S. is catching up through concentrated federal funding (NEVI, IRA), strong state-level leadership (notably California), and an increasingly aggressive private sector push. Despite a fragmented past, there's now real clarity on standards, incentives, and rollout priorities (Joint Office of Energy and Transportation).

Where Europe Leads

Europe's strength lies in its infrastructure maturity and regulatory backbone. By aligning on CCS2 as the standard plug and enforcing roaming protocols, Europe made early bets that have paid off in reliability and user simplicity. Cross-border EV travel is not only possible, it's actively used. European charge point operators have also led in city integration (curbside chargers, smart grid alignment) and in deploying a mix of AC and DC infrastructure tailored to driver needs.

Moreover, competition and openness fuel innovation. With no single company dominating charging in Europe, the market is rich with challengers, hardware specialists, and creative urban concepts.

Where the U.S. Inspires

In the U.S., the scale and ambition are no less impressive. What stood out most is the strategic boldness. While fewer vehicles are electric today, those that are often operate in ecosystems that feel years ahead. Nowhere is this clearer than with Tesla.

Tesla is not just the market leader in vehicles. It is the gravitational center of U.S. charging infrastructure. Its Supercharger network accounts for over 60% of public DC fast chargers in the U.S. (DOE AFDC), and its NACS connector is rapidly becoming the default (SAE). Automakers across the board are adopting NACS, which will reshape how charging is deployed, used, and thought about.

But Tesla's influence runs deeper: it's a charging hardware company, an energy company, and a fleet operator. From load-managed Supercharger sites to solar + storage integrations, Tesla's play is vertically integrated, infrastructure-led, and remarkably effective. Despite any political narratives surrounding the brand, the company's original mission, to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy, remains intact. Its execution to date deserves genuine respect.

Plug & Charge and the Cultural Stack

Plug & Charge adoption exposes a philosophical divergence. In the U.S., a (modified) Plug & Charge experience has become a foundational element of new networks. But it's primarily thought of as a vertically-integrated service: Tesla, and others combine hardware, software, and vehicle in a single stack. It works.

In Europe, Plug & Charge is more fragmented. ISO 15118 adoption is ongoing, but the absence of a fair and open PKI governance and inconsistent driver experiences make the seamlessness we see in the U.S. harder to achieve. That said, the European approach reflects the complexity of building an open, multi-stakeholder ecosystem. What this demands, first and foremost, is a governance model that ensures no commercially motivated, non-neutral entity can make unilateral decisions. This naturally increases coordination overhead and slows down implementation, but it also safeguards long-term interoperability and fairness. 

Autonomy and the Next Layer

Perhaps the most forward-leaning conversations I had in the U.S., especially in the Bay Area, weren't about EV charging at all - they were about autonomous vehicles. In markets where companies like Waymo and Zoox are live and visible, the assumption is that the future of charging involves less human intervention.

That mindset influences infrastructure decisions: authentication methods, site design, power levels, and roaming logic all shift when the customer isn't a person but a platform. It's an exciting reframe, and one that is worth watching closely. As vehicles get smarter, the network must follow.

Roaming, Strategy, and Incentives

We often assume U.S. market players are more ROI- and utilisation-driven than their European counterparts. But what I found instead is a diversity of strategic views. Some CPOs and MSPs in the U.S. are actively questioning whether roaming makes strategic sense, even at the cost of missing out on revenues.

That's not something I'd criticise. It's a reflection of where the market is in its maturity curve. It also highlights something important: not every efficiency is immediately valued. Sometimes, control, brand experience, or customer intimacy take precedence. Europe's strength in interoperability was born of necessity (cross-border travel, decentralised players), while the U.S. market has, until recently, moved more in silos.

What This Means for ENAPI

At ENAPI, our core thesis is that the future will be built on smart, neutral infrastructure that bridges ecosystems, rather than choosing sides. We believe in enabling roaming, Plug & Charge, and financial clearing between whoever needs to connect. And we are building a platform designed to handle both organic growth (like Europe) and coordinated top-down buildouts (like the U.S.).

We are proud to be independent. We're not a charger manufacturer, not a vehicle OEM, and not a network operator. That gives us a rare position: we don't care who wins. We care that the market works. That drivers (or their autonomous proxies) can move through it effortlessly. That the platforms building the EV future can focus on innovation, not integration.

We'll keep learning from both sides of the Atlantic. There's a lot to admire in each, and even more to connect.

💡 Interesting Reads

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  • Tariffs Are Bad for E.V.s, but Some Models May Have a Leg Up | The New York Times

  • America may be just weeks away from a mighty economic shock | The Economist

  • How secure is Germany's critical infrastructure? | DW

  • How AI Is Quietly Reshaping Global Supply Chains (Book by Joe Hudicka) | Forbes

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  • Isembard raised $9M to address manufacturing capacity crisis in the West | Tech EU

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✍️ Want to contribute?

As we grow the Supply Chain Tech newsletter, we are keen to get as many people involved as possible! If you’re interested in supply chain topics, and want to help us spread the word on this exciting space, please do get in touch. We’re always looking for guest authors and collaborators.

Supply Chain Tech Newsletter Team

Philipp Werner is an operator-turned investor and Partner at Project A. He specialises in investing in global supply chain technology and serves on the board of directors of related companies like Relay, Metycle and Enapi. Philipp also launched the Project A Studio, partnering with founders at the pre-idea stage, and previously worked hands-on with 25+ VC-backed startups including Sennder, Trade Republic, and Spryker. 

Ciara Gumsheimer is a Senior Associate at Project A covering global supply chain technology and climate technology, with a particular interest in vertical and sustainable supply chains. Prior to joining Project A, Ciara worked at a FinTech startup in Berlin, after completing degrees at the University of Cambridge, UC Berkeley, and EDHEC Business School.

Project A Ventures is one of the leading early-stage tech investors in Europe with offices in Berlin and London and we are early backers of the logistics unicorn Sennder. We have invested in  some other notable companies in Global Supply Chains, such as Pactum, Metycle, and Relay. In addition to $1bn assets under management, we provide our portfolio companies with exclusive operational support by our team of 100+ in-house experts including all areas from Tech and Product Development to Talent Acquisition and Marketing. Other notable portfolio companies include companies such as Trade Republic, KRY, Spryker, Voi, Catawiki, and WorldRemit.