The Knesset’s Economic Affairs Committee on Tuesday approved new regulations from the Energy and Infrastructure Ministry aimed at making electric vehicle use in Israel easier. The rules require operators of public charging stations to continuously report data to a central database that will be open to the public, a first for the ministry in this area after lengthy committee discussions.
Officials said the move is meant to address one of the main barriers to wider EV adoption, the lack of clear, reliable information about charger locations and availability. Ron Eifer, head of sustainable energy at the ministry, said the database is designed to reduce drivers’ “range anxiety,” including fears of running out of power on the way to Eilat, and to give regulators better data for planning. He added that about 40% of Israel’s energy mix depends on imported fuel and that electrifying transport could cut Israel’s energy consumption by 14% by 2040.
Nehum Yehoshua, head of the transport division at the ministry, said the system will include both real-time reporting and periodic reporting, because Israel currently knows of about 1,000 public chargers but lacks full data on private and workplace chargers. The annual report will apply to charger importers, large installers, charging and charge-management companies, and owners of more than 500 chargers, after lawmakers reduced the burden from a proposed semiannual filing to once a year by March 31. Real-time updates will have to be made within 60 seconds of any change.
Industry representatives raised concerns about confidentiality and financial data. Eifer said the information would be kept fully secret, not published in raw form, and used only to identify bottlenecks and costs the state may help reduce. The regulations will take effect when published, with the first annual report due on March 31, 2026, covering the period through the end of 2026, the next due on March 31, 2028 for 2027, and the ministry required to review the rules after five years. The regulations passed unanimously, with lawmakers also noting the separate problem of drivers illegally using green parking spaces.
