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VDA President Müller: There is an “enormous amount of catching up to do throughout the European Union”
Photo: Marco Urban
Germany's car companies are calling for a faster expansion of the charging infrastructure in order to boost e-car sales. The need to catch up is “enormous throughout the European Union,” says Hildegard Müller, President of the Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA).
There are fewer charging points throughout Bulgaria than in the Hanover region. But according to the VDA, there are still huge gaps in Germany too: in more than three quarters of all communities there is no fast charging option, 39 percent do not offer any charging point at all. Compared to a survey from summer 2023, this is a slight improvement, but from the lobby association's point of view, it is insufficient.
Across Germany, there are an average of 21 electric cars and plug-in hybrids per charging point - a stagnation. Most recently, the number of charging points in the Federal Republic was around 115,000. In order to reach the million planned by the federal government in 2030, the expansion would have to happen three times as quickly, said Müller. Being able to easily charge your car anytime and anywhere is “the central prerequisite for the trust of consumers and thus for the ramp-up of e-mobility,” says the VDA President. The VDA calculation is based on figures from the Federal Network Agency and the Federal Motor Transport Authority from autumn 2023; more current values are not available.
At the beginning of 2024, sales of electric cars fell significantly. This is due to the fact that the federal government canceled the purchase premium for electric vehicles in mid-December. But the poor sales are unlikely to really alleviate the problems resulting from the patchy charging network: despite the sales crisis, more than 31,000 electric cars were still registered in March. In other words: E-cars are selling worse, but the number continues to increase - and with it the demand for charging options.
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