BRUSSELS, Dec 4 Reuters Electric vehicle drivers hoping to top up their batteries at one of Repsol39;s 1,600 Spanish charging stations might well be disappointed, with nearly half lying dormant because they have no power connection.

Such gaps are evident across the European Union, where last week the European Commission announced plans to upgrade the bloc39;s power grids. These are due to be implemented in 18 months and include addressing EV charging station power shortages.

But despite the declarations of its leaders, red tape preventing progress towards greener transport in the EU is on the rise, industry groups and energy companies told Reuters, with permitting one of the major roadblocks.

The ease of building an EV charging hub varies considerably country by country. One industry source said that in Germany a hub was held up for months over rules protecting a single tree, while another located on a busy highway had to wait 10 months for a noise evaluation before it gained approval.

Although the work of installing a fast and ultrafast charging point requires only two to three weeks of work, due to different administrative requirements in Spain, the complete process … can last from one to two years, Repsol said.

Industry group ChargeUp Europe said that while the Commission recognised permitting was a problem, it had not proposed any concrete tools or actions. Specific guidelines for member states to accelerate permitting are only expected at some point over the…