Independent analysis

Published 19 June 2026 · Reviewed 18 September 2026

AFIR EV charging data: what it can and cannot show

The EU Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) requires operators to publish data about their public chargers, including whether each one is working. With that data, anyone can measure how often chargers work and how quickly they recover from faults, without relying on the operator’s own figures. The data does not show whether a driver charged or paid.

What AFIR makes public

Article 20 requires operators of public charging points to publish static and dynamic data through each country’s National Access Point. Static data describes the site: location, connectors and power. Dynamic data changes through the day: whether the charger is working, whether it is free and the ad hoc price a driver would pay.

Operators have had to supply this data since 14 April 2025, and in the DATEX II format since 14 April 2026.

AFIR does not say how to calculate charger uptime or charging success. A tender or service-level agreement that relies on this data has to set its own calculation, reporting period, exclusions and minimum evidence. Without those definitions, two parties can read the same feed and get different numbers.

AFIR sets no reliability target. It sets how much charging capacity member states must build and rules on payment and data, but no minimum share of time a charger must work. For comparison, the UK requires 99% for rapid charging networks and the US federal NEVI programme requires more than 97% per charging port. The Commission is due to review AFIR by the end of 2026; as of September 2026 no proposal to add a reliability target had been published.

AFIR places the infrastructure and data obligations on member states: each country must ensure enough charging capacity is deployed and that operator data is accessible through its National Access Point (Article 20). But AFIR contains no penalties for operators and designates no enforcement authority. How member states monitor compliance with data-publication and payment-access rules is left to national law. No member state had published audit results for the quality or accuracy of operator-submitted data as of September 2026.

What status data can measure

Public EV charger availability
Was a charging point in a working status during observed time?
Limit: Does not confirm that energy was delivered or payment worked.
Failure and recovery
When did a fault appear, and when did a working status return?
Limit: Missing or delayed status events can weaken the conclusion.
Signal quality
Is the public feed timely, complete and stable enough to use?
Limit: Describes the evidence source, not the physical charger by itself.
Status-derived charging sessions
Do status changes show a credible sequence of charging activity?
Limit: These are inferred sessions, not operator-confirmed billing records.

How Symbioen uses the data

We collect the public status feeds from National Access Points and keep every observation at the level of the EVSE (individual charging point). We then apply the same published method to stations, operators, municipalities and countries, so results can be compared across networks and from one quarter to the next.

The Q2 2026 guides for Sweden and Norway report availability and successful charging sessions separately, because they measure different things and use different denominators.

Match the evidence to the decision

Public status data is enough to screen markets, networks and locations. To confirm that service was delivered and repairs were made, you need the operator’s session and maintenance records. Fleet or vehicle data, shared with consent, adds what the driver experienced.

Keep the sources apart before you compare them. When two sources disagree, that disagreement shows you what to investigate. When a source has no data for a charger, report the gap as missing data. Do not count it as success.

Where the evidence is useful

  • Operators: compare network performance with other networks and find the stations to fix first.
  • Site owners and public authorities: check tenders and service-level agreements against a documented baseline.
  • Investors and lenders: test operational assumptions before commercial and financial diligence.
  • Fleets: find the locations worth checking with vehicle data.

What public status data cannot show

Public status data does not show how much energy was delivered or whether payment went through.

When a decision depends on charging outcomes or energy delivered, we add the operator’s session logs and operational records under an agreed verification scope, and keep them separate from the public baseline. Fleet or vehicle data, shared with consent, can show what drivers experienced at the charger.

We can also estimate what downtime and failed sessions cost per charging point; the lost revenue calculator gives you a quick version to try yourself.

The same traceable evidence can support tender and SLA monitoring and regulatory reporting. We do not issue legal certification.

Apply the evidence

Put AFIR data to work on a real decision

Tell us the asset, market or question in scope. We will recommend the right independent assessment within 1–2 business days.

Sources and standards