Energy industry wants to scrap Germany’s target of one million car charging points

Germany’s energy industry wants to give up on the government target of installing one million charging points for electric cars in the country by 2030, but faces headwind from the car industry. "The target of one million charging points is technically outdated," said the head of utility association BDEW, Kerstin Andreae. "Today, it is not the number but the installed charging capacity that is relevant." The lobby group, whose members operate more than 80 percent of the country’s nearly 80,000 public charging points, said that vehicles’ charging capacities have tripled since 2019, meaning that more vehicles can charge at a charging point per day. But car industry association VDA insisted on sticking to the target. "For good reason, then, the German government has once again explicitly confirmed the target of 1 million public charging points in its coalition agreement," the lobby group told newspaper Die Welt. "This target must be pursued with all vigour and the power grid must also be expanded accordingly. There is a considerable need to catch up here."

The BDEW said Germany’s electromobility market "is developing quickly and dynamically," adding that 2022 was a record year both for electric car registrations and the charging infrastructure buildout. "Ultra-fast charging points with a charging capacity of over 150 kW increased by 80 percent: from 3,851 to 7,037 charging points," the association said. But it added that Germany will not reach its target of having 15 million electric cars on the roads by 2030 with current policies. A dedicated strategy was required to hit this goal, the association said.