Public German EV charging rollout advances as demand remains low – energy industry

The rollout of public electric vehicle charging points in Germany continued to progress at pace in the first half of 2024, despite existing charging networks not being well utilised, said the energy industry association BDEW. By 1 July 2024, the country had 134,226 public charging points with a combined capacity of 6.3 gigawatt (GW), according to the lobby group’s “E-Mobility Monitor”. In six months, the number of public charging points had increased by almost 14 percent, BDEW said, adding that Germany exceeded EU targets for installed charging capacity.

However, the group said that low utilisation was “problematic”. On average across Germany, only 14.5 percent of the charging stations were occupied at the same time, with a downward trend. The occupancy rate of the charging stations varies from region to region and ranges from 3 to 23 percent.

“Companies are investing in the expansion of charging points trusting in the target of having 15 million electric cars [on the roads] by 2030,” said BDEW head Kerstin Andreae, calling for the right regulatory framework. “Companies need reliability here, because only with more e-cars on the roads will the further expansion of charging points remain an attractive business model,” she said.

The German government aims to have 15 million electric passenger cars on Germany's roads by 2030, and wants 1 million charging points by that date. The BDEW has previously said that the target for charging points is outdated because it does not take into account the shorter charging times of modern vehicles, and that installed charging capacity is more relevant. There are also increasing doubts over whether Germany can reach its target for electric cars. The government is currently weighing its options to counter persistently weak electric car sales.