The growth of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in Germany has made significant progress over the past year.
According to the 2024 Electric Charging Network Ranking, published by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), by 1st July 2024, there were 142,793 public chargers registered, of which 30,048 are fast.
This expansion represents the efforts of various stakeholders, including the automotive industry, the real estate sector, and charge point operators (CPOs).
However, much remains to be done to ensure the infrastructure adequately meets the growing eMobility demand in the country.
In recent years, the need for stations for eCars has outpaced supply, creating a gap that reached a critical point in 2023, when 21 EVs relied on a single public facility.
By 2024, this figure has reduced to 17 EVs per charger, a significant improvement largely attributed to the increase in fast-equipment, which has grown by 62% compared to the previous year.
Emden: The city with the best access to charging points
Within the locality rankings, Emden, in Lower Saxony, leads with the best ratio of EVs to charging points in Germany.
Currently, only 4.5 EVs depend on each public station, a figure that stands out when compared to other areas.
Overall, Heilbronn and the Oder-Spree district also show good results, with an average of 4.7 EVs per charging location.
Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Thuringia stand out for having a lower number of EVs per available charging point.
These states show progress in infrastructure development compared to the national average of 17.3 EVs per point.
However, other states such as North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg still have high ratios of EVs relative to the available chargers, representing an ongoing eMobility challenge in these areas.
In this context, “refuelling” time is one of the critical factors for electric vehicle users.
Fast-charging points have seen a significant increase.
In one year, their numbers rose by 77%, and there is now an average of 82 EVs per charger nationwide.
However, nearly three-quarters of communities in Germany still lack a single fast-point, highlighting the need to increase these in less developed areas and improve access in rural and semi-urban zones.
In this regard, VDA President Hildegard Müller emphasises the importance of robust infrastructure as a key element for the acceptance and expansion of electric mobility.
Müller highlights that, while the progress is positive, much work remains to be done.
She explains that one of the biggest challenges is the modernisation of electrical grids, a crucial task to support the growth of high-performance charging points, especially in a context where the number of electric vehicles continues to rise.
One of the most pressing challenges, according to Müller, is the need to strengthen and modernise them to meet the growing demand for charging.
This task, which requires coordination between the automotive and energy industries, must also be driven by public policies that promote planned and proactive infrastructure expansion.
Furthermore, a collaborative approach between CPOs, energy companies, and public sector actors is necessary to ensure that “refuelling” points are accessible and properly distributed.
Ranking by Federal States
The VDA analysis highlights variations in access to charging points by state.
Berlin ranks as the leader in the A-value index, which measures the attractiveness of the charging network based on the total number of registered vehicles.
In this ranking, Baden-Württemberg and Hamburg follow Berlin, while states such as Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate show a lower density of chargers in relation to the total number of registered cars.
Thus, the 2024 VDA Charging Network Ranking highlights the progress made in expanding infrastructure in Germany, but also underscores areas where substantial efforts are still required.
