Charging stations for electric cars
According to the German government, the word "range anxiety" should soon be history: As early as 2030, there should be one million public charging stations for e-cars in this country. To make this work, Transport Minister Volker Wissing wants to invest 6.3 billion euros in the expansion of the charging infrastructure. This would allow Germany to set a good example, as a public e-charging station is to be located along the main roads of the European Union at least every 60 kilometres as early as 2026. This has been decided by the EU Parliament by law.
Currently, the federal government is still far from its goal. In mid-September 2023, there were only 78,918 normal e-charging stations and 18,577 fast-charging stations where e-car drivers could charge their batteries. That doesn't sound like much in view of the ambitious goals. However, many experts are of the opinion that one million e-charging stations are not needed at all. This is because most e-car drivers charge at their home wallbox with cheap household electricity – or at work. In addition, charging is becoming faster and faster, so that fewer public charging stations are needed overall.
E-charging stations: Map of all charging stations in Germany
If you can't charge at home or drive longer distances, you need a reliable overview of publicly accessible e-charging stations in Germany. Several providers have developed solutions for this.
The Federal Network Agency enters all public e-charging stations known to it in the so-called charging station register. In official German, every e-charging station is referred to as a "charging point". In addition, the authority provides a charging station map that you can view online. There are currently 78,918 normal charging points and 18,577 fast charging points (as of 1 October 2023). If all charging stations are taken together, about 3.37 gigawatts of charging power can be provided at the same time. By comparison, a large city like Berlin consumes about 1,200 gigawatts a year.
Apps such as "ChargeFinder", "Chargemap" or "Nextcharge" are more user-friendly than the solution of the Federal Network Agency. They show where the nearest e-charging stations are on your route. The most popular – and, according to Stiftung Warentest, the most user-friendly – is the "EnBW mobility+" app from the electricity provider EnBW. The apps "Nextcharge" and "eCharge+" also performed well in the test from April 2022. The experts came to this conclusion after examining the e-car charging apps of ten different providers. Often, the apps show other information in addition to the location of the e-charging station. These include, for example:
- the type (normal or fast charging station),
- the occupancy status in real time,
- the operator of the e-charging station,
- the charging speed,
- the type and number of ports,
- the price,
- information on how to start the charging process
- and, if necessary, additional services in the area.
E-charging stations on the properties of private individuals – for example in garages, garage entrances, private parking lots or carports – are generally not considered publicly accessible and are therefore not listed in the apps or on the map of the Federal Network Agency.
Charging station: costs, electricity providers and tariff models
Anyone who drives their e-car long and repeatedly different distances sometimes needs strong nerves, because the charging station market is confusing and not very transparent. There are a large number of different operators of e-charging stations - from national electricity companies to small, local providers. And everyone has found a different technical solution for the use of their charging stations: Sometimes the e-car driver who wants to refuel needs a charging card, sometimes a special app. While here you can only pay by smartphone, there the bill arrives in the mailbox at the end of the month.
The price and tariff models at the e-charging stations are also inconsistent. Some providers charge a monthly basic fee and charge additional charges per kilowatt hour of electricity refuelled. Others waive the contractual obligation and only charge for the electricity refueled ("ad-hoc charging"). More and more providers are simply charging a flat rate for the charging process – this is particularly worthwhile for drivers of e-cars with a high charging capacity.
In addition, some providers charge "blocking fees". These are levied if a driver leaves his car at the e-charging station longer than the specified maximum duration allows. At EnBW, for example, blocking the charging station beyond the permitted four hours costs 10 cents per minute.
How much does 1 kWh cost at the charging station?
The cost of a kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity at the e-charging station fluctuates considerably. On the one hand, this is due to the price of electricity, which has gone up and down since the beginning of the Ukraine war. On the other hand, political decisions such as the electricity price brake and the competition among providers are also reasons why the costs at the e-charging station differ greatly.
The cheapest way for e-car drivers to refuel is at their home wallbox. If they sign a new electricity contract now, they can look forward to average prices of 28 cents per kWh. The last time electricity was so cheap was in January 2022, and spontaneous charging without a contract at a public charging station costs more than twice as much. The provider EnBW, which currently operates the most public e-charging stations in Germany, charges 61 cents per kWh, for example. Charging at fast charging stations, so-called Superchargers, is even more expensive. For example, the kilowatt hour of electricity currently costs 85 cents at the Dutch provider Allego (as of August 2023). Please note: Prices at public e-charging stations change frequently. The information mentioned here is therefore without guarantee.
How many charging stations are there in Germany?
The Federal Network Agency enters all public charging stations known to it in the so-called charging station register. In addition, the authority provides a charging station map that you can view online. There are currently 78,918 normal charging points and 18,577 fast charging points (as of 1 October 2023).
How much does charging at home cost?
New customers who charge their electric cars with household electricity via a wallbox are the cheapest: For them, the kilowatt hour (kWh) currently costs just under 30 cents (as of August 3, 2023). Electricity is more expensive for existing customers. According to a comparison portal, they have to pay an average of almost 40 cents per kWh. To prevent it from getting even more, the "electricity price brake" caps the existing customer price at 40 cents per kWh until April 30, 2024.
If you want to know how much it costs to charge your electric car at home, you have to multiply your electricity price by the charging capacity of your car. An example: Suppose you drive Tesla's Model Y. This popular electric SUV has a 79 kWh battery. At a price of 40 cents per kWh, you calculate: 79 kWh × 40 cents/kWh = 31.60 euros. If you take it very seriously, you can also factor in the inevitable loss of energy when charging. The ADAC puts this at 6 to 24 percent per model and charging method. This will increase the charging costs even more.
If you charge your e-car with solar power via your own photovoltaic system, you basically have no running costs at all. However, this only works if the system also supplies enough electricity, and this is only the case during the day. But then most drivers want to use their e-car and not charge it. In addition, the purchase of a photovoltaic system and possibly an electricity storage system is currently still quite expensive at 15,000 to 30,000 euros. It is questionable whether this investment is worthwhile just for charging an e-car.
How do you pay at charging stations?
At many e-charging stations, e-car drivers need a charging card from the corresponding electricity or mobility provider. Alternatively, there is often a special smartphone app that is used to pay. You have to download this before the payment process, then register and store a valid means of payment. These apps often use payment services such as PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Pay. This is too cumbersome for many e-car drivers - especially those who drive many and different routes. After all, no one wants to have a stack of different cards in their wallet or a dozen charging apps on their phone.
That's why the German government decided in 2021 that e-car drivers should also be able to pay with debit and credit cards. This was set out in the so-called Charging Station Ordinance. It stipulates that all new electric charging stations must accept the bank cards commonly used in Germany from July 2024. However, there are no plans to retrofit the existing e-charging stations. If you don't have any charging cards and can't pay with your mobile phone, it's better to find out beforehand whether you can actually pay with EC or credit card at the charging station of your choice.
Where can you charge e-cars for free?
The days when e-car drivers could refuel free of charge in the parking lots of supermarket chains and DIY stores are unfortunately over. Currently, only the Swedish furniture store IKEA offers its customers free electricity during opening hours. All other retail chains charge money for refuelling – although the prices are often moderate. At Aldi, for example, you can get electricity at the discounter price of 29 cents per kilowatt hour. This should make charging there even cheaper than at most domestic wallboxes.
In the "Chargemap" app, on the goingelectric.de page or in the "mehr-tanken" app, you can filter for free e-charging stations. More and more companies also want to promote electromobility and offer their employees to charge their e-cars free of charge during working hours in the company garage or in the company car park. Your employer may also promote the e-mobility of its employees in this way.
How much does an electric charging station for your home cost?
A wallbox for the home usually costs between 400 and 1,500 euros – depending on the manufacturer and model. The cheapest are wallboxes with 3.7 kilowatts (kW) charging power. Some of them are available from as little as 300 euros. However, charging with them takes much longer. Wallboxes with 11 kW charging power are therefore more recommended. The boxes of some manufacturers can even be operated with up to 22 kW charging power. For faster charging with 22 kW, you need official approval from your local grid operator. Be sure to check beforehand whether your car has a 22 kW on-board charger at all. Most electric cars can only be charged with a maximum of 11 kW so far.
In addition to the costs for the purchase of the wallbox, there are also the costs for professional installation, because an electrician should do this in any case. According to a study by the ADAC in March 2023, attaching the wallbox costs 1,000 to 5,200 euros. The large price range can be explained by the fact that the amount of work involved can vary greatly: If walls have to be broken through or cables have to be laid over a long distance to the next high-voltage connection, it can quickly become expensive.
The good news is that the Federal Ministry of Digital and Transport (BMDV) announced a new wallbox funding programme at the end of June 2023. Anyone who decides to install a private wallbox next year can again count on state support. 600 euros are in it. However, some framework conditions must be observed. You can read details soon in our new article "This will change for drivers in 2024".
source : Electric Car Charging Stations | Charging stations map