Germany Plans €900 Million in Subsidies to Expand Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

With a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2045, Europe's largest economy currently has approximately 90,000 public charging points. However, it aims to substantially increase this number to one million by 2030 to promote the growth of electromobility.

BERLIN - Germany is set to allocate up to €900 million ($983 million) in subsidies to enhance the network of electric vehicle charging stations for both households and businesses, according to an announcement by the transport ministry on Thursday. Dr. Volker Wissing, Federal Minister for Digital Infrastructure and Transport states:

“Infrastructure policy is always future policy. That's why I am pleased to join the various stakeholders today at the Charging Infrastructure Conference of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMDV) to pave the way for tomorrow's mobility. With the implementation of the Master Plan Charging Infrastructure II, the integration of charging infrastructure and power grid expansion, and the important foundational work for battery-electric trucks, we have already achieved significant milestones in the past year. Soon, we will launch two additional funding programs to support households in building charging stations with self-supply of electricity and to assist companies in establishing fast-charging infrastructure”

As of April, Germany had around 1.2 million fully electric vehicles on its roads, falling significantly short of its target of 15 million by 2030, as indicated by data from the federal motor authority KBA. The limited availability of charging stations, particularly in rural areas, along with high prices and limited range, are considered the primary factors hindering the widespread adoption of electric vehicles.

To address these challenges, the transport ministry plans to initiate two funding programs aimed at supporting private households and companies in establishing charging stations with their own power supply.

Starting from this autumn, subsidies of up to €500 million will be provided to incentivize electricity self-supply at private residential buildings, with the condition that residents already own an electric car, the ministry explained.

Additionally, starting from the following summer, an extra €400 million will be allocated for companies interested in developing fast charging infrastructure for commercial cars and trucks. In October, the German government approved a comprehensive plan to invest €6.3 billion over three years to rapidly expand the electric vehicle charging network across the country.

The subsidies programs unveiled on Thursday are separate initiatives in addition to the existing funding, clarified a spokesperson from the transport ministry.

See the original press release in German here.