Germany to mandate EV chargers at gas stations

Germany's gearing up to put the "electric" in every gas station. And if you're a Tesla fan, you might be cheering a bit louder now. At the recent IAA Mobility/Munich Motor Show, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that Germany is set to enact a new law. This law will require 80% of all service stations to offer fast-charging options for e-cars, boasting a capacity of at least 150 kilowatts.

Germany, which currently has 90,000 public charging stations eyes to reach a million by 2030. That is predicted to crush the pesky range anxiety that's keeping people from going full electric. It's a savvy play, especially as electric vehicles become more thrilling by the day (hello, ID. GTI Concept). And it's even better plan than the one presented by EU - charging station every 37 miles.

For a nation dreaming of 15 million EVs on its roads by 2030, there's some ground to cover. Their current count sits around 1.2 million, but the shift is already accelerating and if the infrastructure can keep up we can't see why it wouldn't be achieved.

Remember Tesla’s tiff with Tank & Rest, the German gas behemoth? For those who missed it, Tesla was at odds over the company's almost-monopolistic control over Autobahn service stations. Essentially, Tank & Rest held the cards when it came to deciding where chargers could pop up. But with this new mandate, they might find it cost-effective to play ball with Tesla. What a turn of events, huh?

However, every party has its poppers. Despite Germany’s stride towards electromobility, some aren't satisfied. Environmental protests against the IAA Mobility show seemed somewhat misplaced. After all, isn’t the whole event about ushering in cleaner mobility? Perhaps the irony wasn't lost on Chancellor Scholz, who remarked, "If you walk through these stands and see the new technologies... it [disruptive protesting] is a bit irritating."

As for Chinese EV dominating this year's IAA Mobility expo Chancellor Scholz wasn’t too fazed. Drawing parallels to past predictions about Japanese and Korean cars dominating the market, he expressed confidence in German automakers' capability to rival Chinese technology.

So, here's our two cents: Because the EV market is ahead of the curve many Chinese EVs indeed offer better value for money right now. But as the EV transition is still in its relatively early stages a lot is bound to change between now and the time when we've rid our roads of fossil fuels. So it's way too early to be making such predictions with any semblance of accuracy.

Via