Number of charging points on the rise
Drivers of electric cars are finding it increasingly easy to find a public charging point in Germany - but the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) believes that more speed is still needed in expanding the charging infrastructure. As of July 1 of this year, there were around 21 electric vehicles per public charging point in Germany, as the VDA announced on Monday. At the beginning of the year, there were still more than 23 e-vehicles.
According to the VDA, the number of public charging points in Germany increased by almost 17,000 to around 97,500 in the first six months of this year. At the same time, around two million electric cars were registered in Germany as of July 1. This includes both battery electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrids.
Fast-charging points in particular are on the rise. More than 5300 of them were added in Germany in the first half of the year. By the middle of the year, there were around 18,500. 110 electric cars for every fast-charging point.
Big differences in the individual regions
However, the VDA believes that growth is still too slow. The German government's target is to have at least one million public charging points nationwide by 2030. According to the association, the pace of expansion would have to triple in order to achieve this target. "People need the certainty of being able to charge easily anywhere and at any time in order to switch to e-mobility," said VDA President Hildegard Müller.
There are also major 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 charging points. According to the VDA, there are 115 electric cars per public charging point. Among the federal states, Saxony is the best, Saarland the worst.
According to the VDA, there is still not a single public charging point in around half of all municipalities in Germany. This is "sobering and highlights the need for political action", said Müller.
Electric car consumers in Germany are grateful for the rising number of public charging points, but the VDA advocates for faster expansion of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure to meet the government's goal of having at least one million public charging points by 2030. Despite the progress, there are still areas with insufficient charging infrastructure, such as around half of all municipalities in Germany, which highlights the need for increased political action.
Interested consumers planning to purchase an electric car could benefit from the expansion of fast-charging points, as there were over 5300 additional fast-charging points in the first half of the year, increasing the total to around 18,500. However, the VDA warns that the growth rate needs to triple to reach the 2030 target.
Source: www.dpa.com
