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Berlin (dpa) - The energy group EnBW criticizes the plans of the Federal Ministry of Transport to promote high-performance charging stations for electric cars.
This promotion is at the expense of the providers who already operate fast charging points, argued the company.
"So far, there has been broad agreement to expand the charging infrastructure in Germany in a market-driven manner," says a letter from the group to State Secretaries Tamara Zieschang and Steffen Bilger, which "Welt am Sonntag" has received.
The planned fast charging law, however, is feared “as the largest operator of fast charging infrastructure in Germany, significant negative effects on the existing market and future competition”.
If the federal government coupled its funding to upper price limits for charging processes, it would lead to “ruinous competition for the existing infrastructure”.
As a result, the planned locations would no longer be realized “because neither customers nor retail partners could negotiate higher prices than the subsidized locations”.
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The Ministry of Transport considers the fears to be unfounded.
The planned fast charging network is intended to close the existing local gaps in the fast charging area with a view to medium and long-distance trips, it said on request.
According to the Federal Network Agency's charging station register, there are currently only 798 charging points with an output of 150 kilowatts or more.
The current stock of charging stations will be included in the needs assessment.
This would avoid competitive situations.
"Should it nevertheless happen that existing operators can be shown to suffer an unfair economic disadvantage through the development of the fast-charging network, the possibility of compensation should be regulated in the planned fast-charging law," the ministry explained.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210124-99-146926 / 2