Germany will require electric vehicle charging at every gas station

As part of a 130 billion euro stimulus plan, Germany will require every gas station in the country to install electric vehicle charging stations. As reported by Reuters, this stimulus package includes subsidies for electric vehicle purchasers and taxes to penalize owning large, pollution-generating SUVs.

According to Germany’s Motor Transit Authority, out of 168,148 cars registered in May, only 3.3 percent were electric. In 2019, less than two percent of new cars registered in Germany were electric. Experts say low sales can be attributed to worries about keeping cars charged. Diego Biasi, chairman and co-founder of Quercus Real Assets told Reuters, “We know that 97 percent of the reason why they’re not buying electric cars is range anxiety. The German move is a way to try and fix this range anxiety since it means you know a petrol station is always open.”

Last year, German Chancellor Angela Merkel set a goal of having a million electric charging stations across Germany by 2030. Guaranteeing that petrol stations can also supply electric vehicles moves the needle towards that goal, but it won’t be enough; Germany only has about 15,000 petrol stations, down from about 40,000 in 1965. For electric cars to become the norm, Germany will need at least 70,000 charging stations and 7,000 fast charging stations.

Germany’s not alone in promoting EVs as part of their post-COVID economic strategies. In a press conference last week, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a similar 8 billion euro incentive package that aims to “make France Europe's top producer of clean vehicles.”