Germany needs extra charging network for commercial e-vehicles - analysis
Clean Energy Wire
The German government must take into account the heterogeneity of requirements in electric commercial transport when developing charging infrastructure, the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (IAO) says in an analysis commissioned by the Research Association of Automotive Technology. The institute has analysed the requirements for electric charging and hydrogen infrastructure in commercial transport by 2030 on the basis of the different sectors’ needs. "For many purposes of vehicle use, depots can make a significant contribution to charging. However, some user groups are absolutely dependent on a public infrastructure. The individual needs are very heterogeneous," summarises Florian Klausmann, project manager at Fraunhofer IAO.
The authors recommend that the German government develops regional charging infrastructure for commercial electric vehicles in addition to nationwide basic charging infrastructure and hydrogen refuelling. Charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles should be established “in at least three places: at company yards, in industrial estates and at service areas or parking lots on highways and trunk roads,” the authors write.
The rollout of electric vehicles is slowly picking up in Germany, but a lack of charging infrastructure is one of the main reasons why consumers are holding back on switching to e-cars. Earlier this year, the government announced a new tender for 1,000 new fast-charging points across the country and announced it will invest nearly two billion euros to ramp up the charging infrastructure for electric cars along its national motorway network.
