Germany has announced plans to allocate up to €900 million ($983 million) in subsidies to enhance electric vehicle (EV) charging stations for households and businesses, according to the transport ministry.
With an aim to bolster electromobility and achieve carbon neutrality by 2045, Europe’s largest economy currently possesses 90,000 public charging points and targets a total of one million by 2030.
However, as of April, Germany had only approximately 1.2 million fully electric vehicles on its roads, significantly below its 2030 goal of 15 million, as indicated by data from the federal motor authority KBA. The low adoption rate has been attributed to factors such as high prices, limited range, and inadequate charging infrastructure, particularly in rural areas.
To address these challenges, the transport ministry plans to introduce two funding programs. Starting this autumn, subsidies of up to €500 million will be made available to encourage electricity self-supply at private residential buildings, on the condition that the residents already own an electric car.
Furthermore, from the following summer, an additional €400 million will be earmarked to support companies in establishing fast charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles.
These subsidy programs supplement the German government’s existing plan, approved in October, which involves allocating €6.3 billion over three years to accelerate the expansion of EV charging stations throughout the country.