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How Germany is preparing for the rise of the electric car

January 20th 2020

By The Local .de

Germany has made significant progress in building charging points for electric cars, but major regional differences still remain.

While cities and metropolitan areas have a comparatively large number of charging stations, there are still many "white spots" in the countryside.

These are the results compiled by the Energy Association BDEW and shared with the DPA and the "Süddeutsche Zeitung.”

Overall, the association describes the expansion of the charging infrastructure as “vigorous” and “dynamic.”

The plans come as American electric car giant Tesla sets out work to build its first European factory outside of Berlin by 2021.

Several German car manufacturers have furthermore announced plans to increase their share of electric cars in the coming years.

How many charging stations does Germany have?

At the end of 2019 there were around 24,000 public charging points in Germany, or almost 50 percent more than in the previous year.

Quick charging stations account for around 15 percent of these ports, according to the BDEW’s register. To compare, there are currently around 220,000 electric cars and plug-in hybrids in the Germany.

This means that, on average, nine e-cars or plug-in hybrids exist for every charging point. 

Eighty percent of charging processes take place at home or at work.

“It is crucially important that the hurdles for building a charging infrastructure are finally removed in the private sector. Politicians should put this high on their agenda for the new year,” BDEW General Manager Kerstin Andreae said.

In the coming years, electric cars are expected to make a breakthrough on the mass market.

Electric mobility plays a central role in the federal government's climate protection program, which aims to achieve its 2030 climate targets mainly through transportation innovation.

To make this feasible, Germany would need seven to 10 million electric cars by 2030. The federal government has created a “charging infrastructure master plan” to accelerate the expansion of the charging stations. The goal is a nationwide and customer-friendly charging network.