London — The number of electric vehicle charge points in Germany has risen 48% this year to 23,840, German utility lobby group BDEW said Wednesday.
Utilities operate three out of four public charge points, of which 15% are so-called fast-chargers. Parking and retail operators and hotels are other key providers, it said.
There are 220,000 EVs and plug-in hybrids registered in Germany, the BDEW said.
As such, nine EVs share one public charge point with 80% of charging done at home or work.
The government plans to invest some Eur3.5 billion ($3.9 billion) into EV charging infrastructure, targeting 50,000 charging points by 2022.
The auto industry itself has committed to install 15,000 chargers.
The government has boosted cash incentives for electric vehicle purchases, with up to Eur6,000 available as it targets one million EVs by 2022.
GERMANY AHEAD OF NORWAY IN EV SALES
Monthly EV sales trends show strong year-on-year gains; Europe's biggest auto market is set to overtake early adopter Norway for the first time on an annual basis, with 57,500 pure EVs registered in Germany in the first 11 months 2019.
According to S&P Global Platts Analytics monthly EV statistics, European EV sales in the first half of 2019 were up 40% year on year at 198,000, against an overall 2% decline for EU new car sales.
Tighter emissions rules, inner-city driving bans for diesel cars and the 2030 climate law are key drivers for this trend.
Some 10 million EVs are needed on German roads to achieve the transport sector's binding 2030 emissions targets, with CO2 pricing to be phased-in from 2021.
Research into power demand of electric cars varies, but some experts estimate around 2.5 TWh/year of additional demand from 1 million EVs.
German car manufacturers plan to triple their electric models to 100 over the next years, with VW most advanced, starting mass production at its first pure EV factory at Zwickau, while Tesla plans to build its first EV factory in Europe near Berlin.
-- Andreas Franke, andreas.franke@spglobal.com
-- Edited by Jonathan Fox, newsdesk@spglobal.com