German govt spends €2bln to ramp up Autobahn e-car charging network - media report

The German government will invest nearly two billion euros to ramp up the charging infrastructure for electric cars along its national motorway network, the Autobahn, WirtschaftsWoche reports. By the end of 2023, around 1,000 charging stations should be constructed on the Autobahn and in remote parts of the country, the business weekly says. It cited a draft by the transport ministry, which is likely to be adopted in early February. Construction and operation of the charging stations will be auctioned off in a tender, with economically attractive locations being bundled together with less busy ones to improve overall network coverage across the country. The differences in payment methods and prices that have so far irked e-car users will hopefully  be reined in with a cap on prices and easier payment methods such as regular credit and electronic cash cards. Companies that have already built charging stations and did not benefit from state support should be compensated accordingly.

A lack of charging infrastructure is seen as a possible bottleneck for the planned roll-out of millions of e-cars over the next decade. And with sales picking up significantly thanks to national support programmes, the case for building more charging stations more quickly becomes ever more urgent. Apart from public charging points, being able to charge e-cars at home or on commercial sites such as workplaces or supermarket parking spaces is seen as key to providing the infrastructure necessary for electrifying the country's entire car fleet.