KfW Research: Private charging stations provide great potential for expansion of e-mobility in Germany

• Already more than 50% of charging processes take place at owner’s home
• Good prospects for expansion as 43% of households have a suitable parking space
• Greatest potential is in rural areas
• KfW promotion begins on 24 November 2020 / list of charging stations eligible for funding is now online

A major prerequisite for decarbonising transport is its consistent electrification, for which a well-developed charging infrastructure is a key factor. Besides public charging points, private charging stations are key enablers for a successful mobility transition. A special survey recently conducted by KfW Research on the basis of the representative KfW Energy Transition Barometer illustrates the potential of and for private charging stations in Germany. Already today, some 54% of all charging processes for electric vehicles take place at owners’ homes. Besides, around 43% of households have a parking space that can basically be used as a charging point. KfW will promote such private charging stations on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure from 24 November 2020. Private households will be able to obtain a grant of EUR 900 to purchase, install and connect a charging station to the grid. The list of eligible charging stations prepared by the National Centre for Charging Infrastructure can now be viewed on KfW’s website and will be continuously updated: www.kfw.de/440-ladestation

The analysis conducted by KfW Research revealed a rural-urban divide in the availability of parking spaces for charging stations. While two thirds of households in rural areas have a suitable parking space, in large cities it is only 25%. But this gap offers opportunities for accelerating the expansion of e-mobility particularly in rural areas by promoting private charging stations. “The conditions for installing private charging infrastructure are very good. Particularly in rural regions, where cars are more important than in cities, many private parking spaces can be turned into private charging stations, thereby effectively complementing the public charging infrastructure", said Dr Fritzi Köhler-Geib, Chief Economist of KfW.

This opportunity should be harnessed to further advance e-mobility in all regions of Germany. After all, the KfW Energy Transition Barometer also shows that electric vehicles are mainly replacing cars with internal combustion engines, and the almost 60% majority of electric vehicle owners use green power tariffs or have a home solar system. “Electric vehicles are often used instead of ICE vehicles and charged increasingly often with green electricity. So, in many places the requirements for climate-safe use of electric vehicles are already met. The expansion of private charging infrastructure can thus help increase the use of electric vehicles and make further considerable progress towards climate-friendly mobility”, Dr Fritzi Köhler-Geib summarised.

The database:

The analysis conducted by KfW Research on private charging stations is based on the KfW Energy Transition Barometer, a representative survey of some 4,000 households in Germany on the topic of energy transition. Further information is available (in German) at:

www.kfw.de/energiewendebarometer

Note:

On 24 November 2020 the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, the National Centre for Charging Infrastructure under the umbrella of the federally-owned company NOW GmbH and KfW will jointly launch a programme to promote the installation of new charging stations for electric vehicles in areas of residential buildings not accessible to the public. The support aims to encourage private individuals to transition to electrically powered vehicles and to create sufficient charging infrastructure for these vehicles in private areas. Further information is available at www.kfw.de/440