If the European Union wants people to switch to electric vehicles (EVs), it needs to install 1 million new charging points by 2024, the bloc's top car lobby has said.

The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) told Brussels on Thursday it needed to set compulsory targets for the number of public charging points to stave off the climate crisis. 

It added that by 2029, there should be at least 3 million around the EU.

"The EU Commission quickly needs to take action and set binding targets for the ramp-up of charging infrastructure in the member states," said Oliver Zipse, the ACEA president and CEO of German car maker BMW.

"Otherwise, even the current reduction targets in fighting climate change are at risk," he said.

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The demands come as European EV sales have grown in comparison with combustion engine cars during lockdowns amid the coronavirus crisis.

As part of pandemic recovery programs, several governments have introduced EV subsidies, while car makers are launching new electric models to meet stricter EU emissions rules.

Last year, Norway became the first country in the world where sales of electric cars outstripped those powered by petrol, diesel and hybrid engines. Electric cars constituted 54.3 percent of the market – up from 42.4 percent in 2019. 

However, the roll-out of public charging stations across Europe has been slow.

In 2020, the EU had 224,538 public charging points and while many EV owners can charge their cars at home and work, critics say the payment and tariff system remains overly complicated.

The ACEA's letter urged the European Commission to create common standards to streamline the process and make owning an EV more attractive.

Its signatories, which included the consumer lobby BEUC and the Transport & Environment (T&E) caucus, also said the bloc should set a target for around 1,000 hydrogen stations by 2029.

In Germany, the government recently agreed a draft law to push for 1,000 fast-charging stations alongside motorways by the end of 2023, at a cost of $2.4 billion.