Charged? Too many charging stations could be at the expense of e-car drivers

Driving and charging an electric car is time-consuming, especially if you have been used to a combustion engine for years. To prevent collapse, many charging stations are needed. But it can also be too much of a good thing. An oversupply would hit e-car drivers in their wallets.

Energy Association: Germany too many charging stations for electric cars

A big advantage of e-cars is the price advantage when charging with electricity compared to petrol and diesel. But if the Federal Association of Energy and Water Management (BDEW) has its way, the cost advantage could melt in the future. The reason: imprecise and exaggerated targets when expanding the charging infrastructure.

BDEW supports the EU’s decision to ban combustion engines from 2035 and the German government’s goal of putting 15 million electric cars on the road by 2030. But for that not nearly as many new public charging points neededas stipulated by the government. The official goal is 1 million charging points.

According to BDEW, things look very different. Private charging options and charging stations at the workplace would have to be factored in. The demand also depends on how quickly the electric cars can be charged in the future. Of the BDEW has 100,000 to 250,000 charging stations, which are needed in Germany by 2030.

Electricity prices for e-car drivers are rising without competition

For the e-car driver, it might not really matter – whether there are five free spaces or just one, the main thing is that you can charge. But Kerstin Andreae, Chairwoman of the BDEW Executive Board, warns: “An oversupply of charging stations stimulated by subsidies means that competition among operators comes to a standstill. With that he becomes Mechanism that ensures that customers receive a product that suits their needs at a fair price has been overturned.”

So far, e-cars have been the cheaper choice when it comes to running costs:

It is therefore important to agree on “realistic targets for charging station requirements”. Otherwise it could get expensive. That the However, it is unlikely that the price advantage of e-cars will be completely eaten up. Because the fuel prices could rise to unimagined heights in the coming months – because of the tank discount. VDA President Hildegard Müller had previously warned that the expansion of charging stations had to be accelerated.