Germany increases number of charging stations by half year-on-year; Czechia has only hundreds

Germany increased the number of public charging stations for electric vehicles by half last year – 20,650 charging stations can now be used in public places. According to the latest information, there are roughly 400 charging points in the Czech Republic.

The electrification of transport, which is a major issue in Germany primarily due to the high volume of transport emissions, has the door open for further development. The number of public charging stations for electric vehicles has risen significantly year-on-year.

Thanks to the substantial development of charging infrastructure, one of the main reasons why ordinary consumers hesitate to buy an electric vehicle is gradually disappearing. In many cases, this is insufficient charging infrastructure – EV users are therefore limited to short ranges and the need to charge at home.

A number of companies have apparently sensed an opportunity and decided to invest in charging infrastructure. However, statistics from the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) further show that a total of 85 % of all EV charging in Germany takes place via private chargers, primarily charging at home or at work.

This is also why the BDEW considers it a priority to amend legislation enabling all owners and tenants, provided they meet certain financial requirements, to charge at their homes.

Of all charging stations, 12 % are fast-charging stations, and a full three quarters are operated by companies that also operate in other energy sectors.

The BDEW also notes that Germany's electricity system can handle substantially more electric vehicles – estimates put the figure at up to 13 million, equivalent to around 30 % of passenger cars registered in Germany.

The comparison between the Czech Republic and Germany is by no means favourable for the Czech Republic. A driver accustomed to German standards who crossed the German-Czech border would have to reckon with a significantly sparser charging infrastructure.

Only around 400 public charging stations operated by various providers are currently in operation in the Czech Republic. According to the latest information, ČEZ Group operates around 160 charging stations, with one hundred of them being fast-charging stations.

Sales of electric vehicles are also gradually growing in the Czech Republic, although they still amount to only the higher hundreds of vehicles annually. Sales of new electric vehicles on the Czech market rose by a fifth in the first half of the year to 324 fully electric cars. Nissan leads with sales of 87 cars, followed by BMW and Volkswagen, which each sold 66 vehicles. Hyundai (40) and Tesla (36) ranked next.