Charging Infrastructure Master Plan II: What you need to know!

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switch contribution image master plan charging infrastructure 2

The German government is pursuing ambitious goals: Greenhouse gas emissions from road traffic are to be reduced by 48 percent by 2030. Berlin sees one of the biggest challenges in the distribution and performance of the charging network in Germany. Now the traffic light coalition has presented its roadmap for improving the charging infrastructure: In our new blog post, you can find out what you should know about the "Charging Infrastructure Master Plan II" and the 68 measures it contains - and how you could benefit from it in the future.

Table of contents

What is behind the "Charging Infrastructure Master Plan II"?

The electrification of road transport is progressing: By October 2022, around 15% more electric cars were registered than in the same period of the previous year. On September 1, 2022, there were 68,275 charging points in Germany, compared with around 51,000 at the end of 2021 - over a third more charging options in just eight months. However, we are still a long way from the German government's ambitious goal of providing one million charging points in Germany by 2030. And even if the growth rate seems high, it is still far too low to realize the vision of the traffic light coalition.

 

To step up the pace, in October the cabinet adopted the Charging Infrastructure Master Plan II, which bundles all federal measures and activities to drive forward the expansion of charging infrastructure in Germany and fleshes out the previous government's first Charging Infrastructure Master Plan.

switch contribution graphic master plan charging infrastructure 2

Forecast and actual development of charging points in Germany from 2021 to 2030 


Why is a second master plan needed now?

According to the German government, the Infrastructure Master Plan II is not a new plan, but a revision of the first one from 2019. In the coalition agreement (page 41), the SPD, BÜNDNIS'90/DIE GRÜNEN and FDP agreed to "swiftly revise the Charging Infrastructure Master Plan and bundle necessary measures from the areas of construction, energy and transport in it, as well as placing an emphasis on municipal networking of solutions."

This has resulted in 68 measures aimed at very different levels: Administration and politics from the federal, state and local levels as well as network operators are addressed, as are the automotive and energy industries through to investors, entrepreneurs and landlords. The measures describe what the German government wants to examine in more detail, to what extent it wants to involve the players and what it would like to implement.

With the master plan, the German government wants to make it easier, more convenient and faster to set up and operate charging points. Charging infrastructure is to be made more attractive as a business model, but at the same time the federal government is to be made more accountable. However, anyone looking for concrete funding programs in the document will be disappointed.

What topics are addressed in Master Plan II?

The Charging Infrastructure Master Plan II attempts to address as many areas of charging infrastructure development as possible. The master plan places particular emphasis on the following topics:

  • User-friendliness through digitization
  • Charging infrastructure on buildings
  • E-commercial vehicles
  • Bidirectional charging
  • Eliminate regulatory barriers

User-friendliness through digitization

The master plan not only envisages many new charging points, but also that they should be easy to find and use. The key to this is digitization, which will help make payment processes secure, reservation options as simple as possible, and ensure accessibility and data protection.

"Everyone should know in good time what charging costs and whether the charging station is free. In the future, real-time data on voucher status or prices will be available for this purpose. Charging will be as easy and natural as refueling - perhaps even more convenient."

Charging infrastructure on buildings

In the view of umschalten.de, an important key topic addressed in the master plan is charging in buildings. By further optimizing the legal basis and supporting the construction of charging infrastructure in the area of apartment buildings, the user group of tenants can also be increasingly motivated to switch to sustainable mobility in the future. By the way: Our article on charging in apartment buildings provides tenants and owners with the most important information on the legal status quo.

E-commercial vehicles

Interesting points are listed for companies with e-cars in their fleets. Measures 59 to 68 on e-commercial vehicles and e-trucks are a focal point. A charging network specifically for heavy commercial vehicles is to be designed by Q1/2023 and parts are to be put out to tender for the first time in Q3/2023.

Bidirectional charging

The measures envisaged around bidirectional charging are also exciting. In particular, this technology offers opportunities for companies that also have a solar system on their roof or premises. The coalition also wants to examine whether it might be necessary to subsidize home connections for bidirectional charging. The sale of charging power to third parties is to be simplified, for example by examining whether such services could be exempt from sales tax in the future.

Eliminate regulatory barriers

The traffic light government wants to speed up planning and approval processes and reduce regulatory obstacles. For example, necessary ancillary facilities are to be exempted from procedures (Measure 50). The sharing of charging infrastructure is to be simplified by revising the sales tax regulations, among other things. Approval processes on highways are to be standardized and greenhouse gas quota trading further developed. Also of particular interest to tenants and owners is that the application process for grid connections is to be accelerated.

What does the charging infrastructure master plan say about funding opportunities?

Even if no specific funding programs are described yet, funding priorities for the coming years can be derived from the master plan:

  • Concept for promoting public and non-public charging infrastructures (by Q1/2023).
  • Examination of the possibility of purchasing self-generated electricity (by Q1/2023)
  • Development of concepts for urban spaces and users without own parking space (until Q2/2023)
  • Concepts for fast-charging infrastructure beyond the German network (from 2023)
  • Tendering of car charging points at freeway service areas by Autobahn GmbH (from 2023).
  • Concept and tender for an e-charging network for e-commercial vehicles (Q3/2023).

How can e-car drivers benefit from the Charging Infrastructure Master Plan II in the future?

All e-car drivers can benefit from the digital offensive in the charging infrastructure master plan. The focus here is on measures to:

Of course, e-car drivers also benefit overall from a dense and reliable charging infrastructure. A key factor here is, of course, the accelerated installation of charging points in public areas, but also at employers' premises, for example, to ensure that many vehicles can charge at the same time. Even seemingly small measures can help, such as the planned standardized signage for electric vehicles and consistent action against illegal parking at charging stations (Measure 49).

What are the criticisms of the Charging Infrastructure Master Plan II?

Associations and market players criticize the Charging Infrastructure Master Plan II. For example, the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW), the association representing the interests of the electricity and energy sector in Germany, expressed its disappointment:

Kerstin Andrae, Chairwoman of the BDEW Executive Board

Photo: Thomas Imo/photothek.net

"After three-quarters of a year of work, the Charging Infrastructure Master Plan, with its 68 individual measures, misses the opportunity to specifically remove the brake blocks that have been impeding faster charging station expansion on the part of the public sector for far too long."

Source: bdew.de

Above all, BDEW would like to see faster approvals and less bureaucracy in subsidies and recognizes more government planning and control in the master plan. However, BDEW sees the private sector as a suitable driver for a demand-oriented and rapid development of the charging infrastructure.

 

The Verband kommunaler Unternehmen e.V. (VKU), which also represents many municipal utilities in Germany, for example, is more cautious. It criticizes above all the lack of binding force, saying that very many measures initially involve "testing". The implementation of the individual measures is still open. The VKU would now like the federal government and ministries to actively involve stakeholders and make use of the available expert knowledge.

Our conclusion: A step in the right direction, but now action must follow

The Charging Infrastructure Master Plan II points out many important directions that are intended to strengthen the development of charging infrastructure and the ramp-up of e-mobility in Germany. The decisive factor will be which concrete measures in the form of subsidies or laws follow the ambitious approaches in order to put them into practice in a timely manner.

 

Where do you still see a need for action in the promotion of charging infrastructure? Which topics do you think deserve more attention? Feel free to write to us at frag@umschalten.de!

A contribution by Lisa Troeger

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