Saxony is in the best position
Half of German communities still have no charging point
November 13, 2023, 11:48 a.m
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The good news: If you want to fill up your electric car with electricity, you’ll find it quicker. The number of public charging points, especially fast charging stations, has continued to grow. But the pace of expansion is far too slow, criticizes the automobile industry association. In addition, some places are not supplied at all.
Drivers of electric cars in Germany are increasingly finding it easier to find a public place to recharge their batteries – but the Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) believes that more speed in expanding the charging infrastructure is still necessary. As of July 1st of this year, there were around 21 electric vehicles per public charging point in Germany VDA announced. At the beginning of the year there were more than 23 electric vehicles.
According to the VDA, the number of public charging points in Germany increased by almost 17,000 to around 97,500 within the first six months of this year. At the same time, around two million electric cars were registered in the Federal Republic as of July 1st. This includes both battery-electric drives (BEV) and plug-in hybrids.
Things are improving, especially when it comes to fast charging points. In the first half of the year, more than 5,300 of them were added to Germany. By mid-year their number was around 18,500. This means there were 110 electric cars per fast charging point. But from the VDA’s point of view, growth is still too slow. The federal government’s goal is to have at least one million public charging points nationwide by 2030. According to the association, in order to achieve this goal, the pace of expansion would have to triple. “People need the certainty that they can easily charge anywhere and at any time so that they can switch to e-mobility,” said VDA President Hildegard Müller.
Big regional differences – Ingolstadt and Saxony in the lead
In addition, there are large differences in the individual regions. The VDA evaluates the availability of charging points based on data from the Federal Motor Transport Authority and the Federal Network Agency for federal states, districts and cities.
The city of Ingolstadt performs best. Here only around four electric cars have to share a public charging point. The city of Wiesbaden has the fewest refueling options. According to the VDA, there are 115 electric cars per public charging point there.
Among the federal states, Saxony is in the best position and Saarland is in the worst position. According to the VDA, there is not yet a single public charging point in around half of all communities in Germany. This is “sobering and highlights the need for political action,” said Müller.