2025 has been a big year for eMobility with record EV sales, stronger EV charging infrastructure, new regulations, and innovations that are finally moving beyond prototypes. But 2026 is shaping up to be something different: a year where several long-promised shifts finally reach the mainstream.
Below are our six predictions for what we think will be the biggest developments in EV charging trends, and how CPOs, EMSPs, OEMs, utilities, and fleet operators will build and scale the next stage of Europe’s eMobility systems.
After years of hype, 2026 will be the first year wireless charging becomes a genuine option rather than a futuristic experiment. Porsche’s recently announced inductive charging system is the clearest sign yet. A 22 kW wireless plate, automated positioning support, and an experience that removes the last bit of friction from plugging in.
Other OEMs will move in the same direction. Wireless charging will not replace cables overnight, but it will begin influencing expectations. Premium parking spaces will offer it, hotels and shopping destinations will test it, and fleet operators will look at wireless as a way to eliminate plug-in logistics. Convenience is becoming part of the charging experience, and 2026 is when that shift begins in earnest.
Charging locations are evolving fast. The days of cold, empty, poorly lit charging-only spots are fading, and 2026 will bring a visible rise in stations that feel more like rest hubs than refuelling points.
Drivers increasingly want warm, safe, comfortable places to spend 20 to 40 minutes: cafés, clean facilities, WiFi, seating, and a sense of calm rather than a concrete patch by the roadside. We are already seeing the foundations. For example, Vinci Autoroutes in France in partnership with Allego, Ionity’s Oasis concepts, Norwegian micro hubs, and retailers across the Netherlands who are integrating charging with modern convenience spaces.
Charge Point Operators (CPOs) have realised that experience matters just as much as kilowatts, and 2026 will be the year that becomes obvious across Europe.
This is the biggest technological leap the EV world has been waiting for. In 2026, solid-state battery EVs from Toyota and others are expected to reach the market. They finally deliver what the industry has been promising for a while: ranges over 500 miles or 800 kilometres and charging times that approach the ten minute mark. Longer battery life, improved safety, and better thermal control come with it.
At the same time, sodium-ion batteries will enter mass production as a low cost and low impact alternative to lithium-ion. They are ideal for affordable EVs, fleets, micromobility solutions, and stationary storage.
The impact will be immediate. Range anxiety will shrink. Faster charging will feel natural. Infrastructure planning will shift as vehicle behaviour changes. If 2025 was about incremental gains, 2026 is where battery tech takes a generational step forward.
In 2024 and 2025, many organisations focused on planning. In 2026, businesses will begin electrifying entire depots and operational hubs rather than testing individual routes. BEV vans and trucks are available at scale, TCO parity has arrived for many segments, and regulatory pressure is increasing across Europe.
The shift will not be gradual. When a fleet transitions, dozens or hundreds of vehicles change at once. This creates new demands on infrastructure, software, and day to day operations, especially around fleet charging efficiency and cost management.
This is where companies like ihomer play an important role. ihomer supports fleet electrification by integrating charging systems with fleet software, automating charging workflows, and helping businesses manage energy costs and depot operations. As fleet transitions accelerate, integrated software becomes just as important as hardware.
Uptime has been a top priority for years, but 2025 has seen a big shift in the industry from reactive maintenance to predictive maintenance. Charging networks are growing quickly, driver expectations are rising, and regulations are tightening. The old model of waiting until something breaks no longer scales.
In 2026, more CPOs will rely on real-time monitoring, data-driven anomaly detection, and automated diagnostics that fix issues before drivers even notice a problem. Companies like Allamo are already leading the way with tools that identify anomalies, predict failures, and reduce operational costs while improving SLA performance. Downtime decreases, OPEX decreases, SLA compliance improves, and trust increases. As the industry matures, predictive maintenance becomes a core differentiator and early adopters will lead the field.
AI in eMobility is no longer a feature or a clever add on. It has quickly become the invisible force woven into almost every tool, every workflow, and every decision across the industry. From customer service chats to energy optimisation models to the way fleets schedule routes, AI is already everywhere, whether we notice it or not.
It seems inevitable that AI will run so much of the EV ecosystem that it will feel like it is running the world itself. Chargers predicting their own failures before they happen, fleets that dispatch themselves, roaming that fixes its own inconsistencies, and energy systems that negotiate with the grid in real time.
EV charging becomes almost self aware, the eMobility sector becomes semi autonomous, and operators shift from managing problems to supervising systems that manage themselves.
It sounds futuristic, but it is coming faster than anyone expected. But don't worry, we still need humans to drive the cars. For the most part, anyway!
At Nexxt Industry, we offer eMobility marketing services with a decade of industry experience, including expertise in marketing for companies who work in the charging infrastructure sector. With us, you instantly add years of eMobility marketing experience to your eMobility marketing team.
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