The German government has mandated all the petrol pumps across the country (14,118, to be specific) to provide electric vehicle charging stations (EVs), Reuters reports. This was done to alleviate anxiety about the range and to encourage citizens to adopt EVs.
This move is being made as part of a €130 billion (approx. Rs 11.07 lakh crore) economic recovery plan aimed at boosting demand for EVs. The stimulus also includes plans to levy staggered taxes on owners of large SUVs with an internal combustion engine (IC) and to offer a subsidy on the purchase of an electric car.
EVs accounted for only 1.8 per cent of new passenger car registrations in Germany in 2019. Diesel-powered automobiles accounted for 32 percent while petrol-powered automobiles accounted for 59.2 percent.
Since the biggest deterrent to buying an EV is the charging infrastructure, Germany’s energy and water industry association, BDEW, believes that there must be at least 70,000 charging stations and 7,000 fast chargers to increase mass market appeal. BDEW claims that there are currently only 27,730 charging stations in all of Germany.
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