Charging Infrastructure Germany 2025: The Ultimate Guide for the Future of E-Mobility

With over 161,000 public charging points, Germany's charging infrastructure reaches a new milestone at the beginning of 2025. Today, you have access to 125,408 normal charging points and 36,278 fast charging points nationwide, providing a total charging capacity of an impressive 6.11 GW.

Moreover, the development of the charging infrastructure shows remarkable dynamics: The number of fast charging points has increased by 240% over the last two years. The federal government is investing two billion euros in expansion and is pursuing the ambitious goal of setting up one million public charging points by 2030. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the distribution, technology, and expansion planning of charging points in Germany, to help you better understand the current situation and future development of the charging infrastructure.

Current Status of the Charging Infrastructure Germany 2025

As of February 1, 2025, the Federal Network Agency records 161,686 public charging points in Germany. This represents a significant growth of 21 percent compared to the previous year. The total nominal output of all charging facilities has risen from 4.6 to a remarkable 6.1 gigawatts. These figures illustrate the dynamic development of the charging infrastructure in Germany.

Statistical Overview: 161,686 Public Charging Points

The recorded 161,686 charging points are distributed over approximately 88,100 public charging stations. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that the actual number is likely higher, since the Federal Network Agency only considers facilities where the operator has completed the registration process and approved the release.

EnBW continues to hold the leading position among charging point operators with 9,086 points, followed by E.ON (4,396), Tesla (3,194), EWE Go (2,670), and Mercedes-Benz (2,603). Thus, a few large providers dominate the market for charging infrastructure in Germany.

Distribution of Normal and Fast Charging Points

Of the total available charging points, 125,408 are allocated to normal charging points, and 36,278 are fast charging points. Normal charging points are defined as those with a power output of 22 kW or less, while fast charging points have a power output of more than 22 kW.

Particularly in the case of direct current charging points (DC), significant growth has been observed over the last twelve months:

• Charging points with 22 to 49 kW: +6% to 1,951

• Charging points with 49 to 59 kW: +30% to 6,527

• Charging points with 59 to 149 kW: +39% to 2,874

• Charging points with 149 to 299 kW: +45% to 13,944

• Charging points with more than 299 kW: +47% to 10,874

These figures confirm the intensified expansion of high-performance fast charging points. Although fast charging points account for only about 22% of all public charging points, they represent a large portion of the total charging capacity.

Average Charging Power of 37.7 kW

The average charging power of all charging points in Germany has increased from 36.3 kW in February 2024 to 39.4 kW in February 2025. However, this value varies significantly regionally: While in Berlin the average charging power is only 24.6 kW, Thuringia reaches the top value with 50.6 kW.

Charging power is a key factor for the actual charging time. Manufacturers usually only state the maximum charging power, which can only be sustained for short periods. The actual charging speed is also influenced by various factors, including:

• Outside temperature

• State of Charge

• Battery technology

• Vehicle model

For example, the charging power of an Audi e-tron GT quattro can be up to 270 kW at about 45 percent state of charge, while it drops to about 121 kW at 75 percent charge.

Regional Distribution: Bavaria Leads in Charging Points

The regional distribution of the charging infrastructure shows significant differences. The most public charging points are in Bavaria with about 31,300 points, closely followed by North Rhine-Westphalia with 30,900 points. Bavaria also has the highest accumulated power of public charging points nationwide with a good one gigawatt.

However, significant differences exist within Bavaria: The city of Regensburg ranks first in Bavaria for the supply of charging stations, followed by the Dingolfing-Landau district and the city of Kaufbeuren. In these regions, there are about seven electric cars per public charging point on average.

In a national comparison, Saxony, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Thuringia are the best supplied with charging stations, according to the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) with 11.8, 11.9, and 12.0 electric cars per charging point, respectively. The poorest quotas are found in Saarland with 24.3 and in Rheinland-Palatinate with 21.7 e-cars per charging point.

As of February 1, 2025, there was only one district in Germany that had not reported a public charging point to the Federal Network Agency: The independent city of Eisenach is listed in the statistics with zero charging points.

Technological Development of the Charging Infrastructure

The technological landscape of the charging infrastructure in Germany has developed rapidly since 2020. While mainly low-power normal charging points were built in the past, there is now a clear trend towards more powerful fast charging systems.

Evolution of Charging Power Since 2020

The average charging power per charging point in Germany has continuously increased and is currently around 37.7 kW. In particular, the expansion of high-performance charging points has gained significant momentum in recent years. The installation of high-performance charging points with more than 149 kW is particularly impressive: 8,699 new charging points were installed in the last year alone, representing an increase of 77 percent.

Looking at the available charging power per electric vehicle also shows positive development. While as of July 2023, 1.7 kW were available per e-car in Germany statistically, it rose to 2.1 kW a year later. This increase is mainly due to the intensified installation of high-power fast charging points.

However, it is not enough to simply set up charging stations. The power grids must also be prepared for the increasing demands. Accelerated and forward-looking grid expansion is therefore the decisive prerequisite for the further development of the charging infrastructure in Germany.

Plug Types and Compatibility

In Europe, two main plug types have become established: the Type 2 plug for normal charging stations and the CCS plug (Combined Charging System) for fast charging stations.

The Type 2 plug has been the EU standard for AC charging points since 2013 and offers space for three power lines. With this plug, charging outputs of up to 43 kW at public charging stations and up to 22 kW at private wall boxes are possible. Most e-cars have a maximum AC charging power of 11 kW, which allows an 80 percent charge in about 4-5 hours depending on battery size.

CCS plug (also called combo plug) is an extension of the Type 2 plug with two additional DC contacts. It enables significantly higher charging powers from 50 up to 350 kW at fast charging stations[82].

There are also other plug types:

• CHAdeMO plug: A standard mainly used by Japanese manufacturers for fast charging with up to 50 kW, which is, however, losing importance in Germany.

• Schuko plug: For emergency charging at normal household sockets, with charging power limited to a maximum of 3.7 kW.

Bidirectional Charging as Future Technology

Bidirectional charging offers a promising innovation: it allows the electricity stored in the electric vehicle's battery to be fed back into an electrical device, the house, or the public power grid.

There are three main variants:

1. Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) or Vehicle-to-Device (V2D): External devices can be charged via a Schuko socket located in/on the car. This simplest variant is already available in some models[91].

2. Vehicle-to-Home (V2H): The e-car connected to a wall box can feed energy into the house's power grid. This way, excess solar power can be stored and later used in the household.

3. Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G): The e-car feeds energy into the public power grid. The vision behind it: Thousands of e-cars could be networked into a "virtual power plant" and contribute to stabilizing the power supply[92].

The technology for bidirectional charging already exists, but many hurdles still need to be overcome. These include technical challenges such as converting between direct current (DC) in car batteries and alternating current (AC) in the house grid. Moreover, a unified communication interface is needed, which the ISO 15118-20 standard published in April 2023 addresses.

In addition, there are still legal and economic challenges. Electric vehicles are not legally considered battery storage yet, and there is a lack of clear business models to justify the investment in the necessary technology. Nevertheless, the willingness towards bidirectional charging among e-car drivers in Germany is already high.

Expansion of Charging Infrastructure Germany: The Germany Network

The Germany Network is one of the largest charging infrastructure projects of the federal government. With this ambitious project, the government is specifically driving the expansion of the fast charging infrastructure to close gaps on the charging map and make e-mobility widespread and practical.

9,000 New Fast Charging Points at 1,000 Locations

The federal government ensures with the Germany Network a user-friendly and demand-oriented fast charging infrastructure throughout Germany. In total, more than 1,000 locations with around 9,000 fast charging points will be created, ensuring that the next charging point can be reached anywhere in the country within a few minutes. The locations are divided into two categories:

• 900 Regional Locations: These are distributed across 23 regional lots in six regions (North-West, North-East, Central Germany, South-East, South-West, and West). Between 4 and 16 fast charging points with a power output of at least 200 kW each will be built per location.

• 200 Highway Locations: More than 1,000 high-performance charging points will be built at unmanaged rest areas along the federal highways. As a result, a charging option is guaranteed every 15 to 30 kilometers along the highways.

The Federal Ministry of Transport is providing a total of 1.8 billion euros for this project.

Compulsory Fuel Stations from 2028: 8,000 Additional Fast Charging Points

In addition, the federal cabinet has decided on a legal obligation whereby large gas station companies must provide at least one fast charging point with a power output of at least 150 kW at each station from January 1, 2028. This regulation applies to companies with at least 200 gas stations.

This obligation is expected to create approximately 8,000 additional fast charging points at gas stations or in their immediate vicinity. Currently, only seven percent of gas stations have fast charging points.

A so-called flexibility mechanism allows companies to deviate from the requirements for up to 50 percent of their gas stations. In addition, a hardship regulation is provided for in the event of economically unreasonable burdens.

Promotion of Commercial Fast Charging Infrastructure

Additionally, the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transportation supports companies with a special funding program in building commercial fast charging infrastructure. Fast charging points with a minimum power output of 50 kW and the necessary grid connection are funded.

The program is particularly aimed at:

• Craft and trade businesses

• Transport and logistics companies

• Fleet users such as parcel services or car-sharing providers

Small and medium-sized enterprises are eligible for funding up to 40 percent, while large companies can be supported with up to 20 percent. The maximum grant per application is 5 million euros. The ministry is making up to 400 million euros available for this program.

Germany's Charging Infrastructure Map: Regional Differences

The regional differences in the distribution of the charging infrastructure in Germany show a complex picture of urban agglomerations and rural regions. While the absolute number of charging points is higher in populous federal states, relative figures reveal a more differentiated picture of the charging infrastructure.

Federal State Comparison: Charging Points per Resident

Bavaria leads nationwide with approximately 31,300 charging points at the top of the absolute list. However, the distribution per resident is more revealing for the actual supply density. With 1.44 charging points per 1,000 residents, Bavaria also ranks first here. Baden-Württemberg follows with 1.42 points per 1,000 residents in second place.

The position of city-states is particularly interesting: Although Hamburg ranks only seventh in the total number of charging points, it achieves the third place with 1.21 charging points per 1,000 residents. Berlin has the densest charging network in Germany with 411.21 charging stations per 100 km².

Meanwhile, Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern show a significantly lower supply density with only 0.68 and 0.70 charging points per 1,000 residents, respectively.

City vs. Countryside: Availability and Utilization

A significant imbalance exists between urban and rural areas. About 83% of all public charging points are located in cities and metropolitan areas, while only 17% are available in rural regions. Particularly in the western federal states, the charging infrastructure is more developed – seven of the ten best-supplied regions are located in the south and southwest.

The availability of charging points in the countryside is particularly problematic, as only about 20% of all public charging stations are available there. Furthermore, the failure rate of charging stations in rural areas is around 5%, higher than in major cities, where it is around 3%.

Electric Cars per Fast Charging Point by Federal State

The distribution of electric cars per fast charging point shows considerable regional differences. As of July 2024, Thuringia showed the best ratio with 34.7 electric cars per fast charging point. The nationwide average is 82.4 e-cars per fast charging point.

To be classified as a fast charging point, a charging station must have a capacity of more than 22 kilowatts, according to the Federal Network Agency. High concentrations of public charging facilities are found particularly in major cities such as Stuttgart, Böblingen and Esslingen, Speyer, and Landau in der Pfalz. In eastern Germany, only the greater Dresden area is currently standing out as a e-mobility hotspot.

Germany's Charging Infrastructure in International Comparison

Globally, Germany's charging infrastructure is seen in a dynamic field between established European leaders and emerging global players. International positioning highlights both strengths and areas for development.

Germany's Position in Europe

With about 120,600 public charging points, Germany ranks second in Europe. However, in terms of the ratio of electric vehicles to charging points, the country is only in the middle of the pack. In 2021, Germany ranked 12th in Europe with 1,014 cars per charging point. A recent study by Allianz Direct places Germany with 3,020 charging stations per 10,000 km² in fifth place in Europe. Particularly notable is the infrastructure's growth by 82% in the last three years.

Netherlands as Leader in Charging Point Density

The Netherlands are unrivaled leaders in European charging infrastructure. With around 144,500 public charging points and an impressive density of 34,839 charging stations per 10,000 km² – more than ten times as much as Germany – they set benchmarks. An average of 47.5 charging stations per 100 kilometers make the Netherlands the European frontrunner. Notably, the Netherlands and Germany together account for more than half of all public charging points in the EU.

China's Massive Infrastructure Development

While Europe is making significant progress, China is developing its charging infrastructure at an unprecedented pace. By the end of 2024, the country had approximately 12.8 million charging stations, including 3.6 million public ones. The Chinese market is growing at an annual rate of 38.85% and could reach a value of 22.09 billion USD by 2028. Particularly noteworthy: In August 2023 alone, around 61,000 new public charging stations were installed – an increase of 39.9% compared to the previous year.

Norway Leads in Fast Charging Stations per Highway Kilometer

Norway holds a special position in fast charging infrastructure. With about 900 fast charging stations per 100 km of highway, the country significantly surpasses Germany (53 fast charging stations per 100 km of highway). In total, Norway has approximately 24,614 publicly accessible charging points, including around 4,000 fast charging stations. The comprehensive distribution is impressive: Even in the sparsely populated northernmost province Troms og Finnmark with only 3.2 inhabitants per square kilometer, there are 547 charging points.

Conclusion

In summary, Germany's charging infrastructure 2025 shows significant progress. With 161,686 public charging points and a total output of 6.1 gigawatts, a solid foundation is available for e-mobility.

Technological development is advancing particularly in the area of fast charging points. While Bavaria and North Rhine-Westphalia have the most charging points, eastern federal states offer the best ratio between electric cars and charging points. Additionally, the Germany Network promises an even better supply with 9,000 new fast charging points.

However, Germany faces challenges in the international comparison. The Netherlands surpass Germany in terms of charging point density, while China sets new standards with its rapid expansion pace. Nonetheless, Germany's charging infrastructure demonstrates that it is well positioned for the future with its continuous development and innovations such as bidirectional charging.

The continued expansion of the charging infrastructure will be crucial for the success of electromobility in Germany. The ambitious goals of the federal government, combined with technological advances and targeted funding measures, pave the way for a comprehensive and efficient charging infrastructure by 2030.

FAQs

Q1. How many public charging points are currently available in Germany? As of February 1, 2025, the Federal Network Agency records 161,686 public charging points in Germany. This represents an increase of 21 percent compared to the previous year.

Q2. What types of charging points are there and how do they differ? There are two main types: normal charging points (up to 22 kW) and fast charging points (over 22 kW). Of the total available charging points, 125,408 are normal charging points and 36,278 are fast charging points. Fast charging points enable significantly shorter charging times.

Q3. What does the regional distribution of the charging infrastructure in Germany look like? Bavaria leads with about 31,300 charging points, followed by North Rhine-Westphalia. However, there are large regional differences. Cities like Regensburg and Berlin have a high charging point density, while rural areas are often less well supplied.

Q4. What is the Germany Network and what are its goals? The Germany Network is a project by the federal government for the expansion of the fast charging infrastructure. It plans the establishment of 9,000 new fast charging points at 1,000 locations to ensure nationwide supply.

Q5. How does Germany's charging infrastructure compare internationally? Germany ranks second in Europe for the number of public charging points. In the global comparison, Germany is in the middle. Countries like the Netherlands have a higher charging point density, while China is leading in expansion speed.