The German federal government approved a plan today to spend €6.3 billion ($6.17 billion) over the next three years to rapidly increase the number of electric vehicle charging stations across the country.
There are currently around 70,000 charging stations in the country; the government wants to increase that number 14-fold to 1 million by 2030. The emphasis will be on towns and cities that are currently undersupplied.
In Germany, there are approximately 1.5 million electric vehicles on the road, with a goal of increasing to 15 million by 2030. The administration plans on speeding up state approvals for building charging points to meet the demand.
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing said: “We know that electromobility is ramping up rapidly, so we have to be quick”.
The Minister added that “Our goal: to accelerate the expansion of charging infrastructure, simplify the charging process and thus make it easier for people to switch”.