Munich/Pforzheim, January 17, 2019 – The most recent study conducted by Aurora Energy Research predicts that by 2040, up to 29 million electric cars will be driving on German roads. To ensure that electric vehicles can be charged anywhere, an intelligent charging infrastructure supported by a combination of private households and publicly accessible charging stations based on renewable energy is needed. Visitors of Power2Drive Europe will gain exclusive insights into how these and other challenges for a successful transportation transition can be met. The exhibition will take place as a part of The smarter E Europe – the innovation hub for empowering new energy solutions. Over 200 suppliers of charging infrastructure and electric vehicles, and 50,000 visitors are expected from May 15–17, 2019 at Messe München.
About two years ago, the German government decided to launch an incentive program for e-mobility. Since the beginning of 2017, the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure’s charging infrastructure program been contributing to investments in the development of a nationwide, publicly accessible charging infrastructure. The program intends to help establish a comprehensive and needs-based charging network with at least 15,000 new charging stations by 2020. To this end, the German government has set aside 300 million euros for the period from 2017 to 2020.
The initiative has been well received by private investors and municipalities alike: The first two calls for applications attracted over 3,000 submissions, with 15,803 charging points being granted funding, 2,330 of which will be high-speed charging stations. This will more than double the number of existing charging stations. The third call for funding followed in November of 2018. The German government has earmarked around 70 million euros for this appeal alone, which will finance the construction of up to 13,000 charging points.
Cities around the globe are getting charged up
Companies, too, have recognized the need to expand the charging infrastructure in order to promote e-mobility in Germany and worldwide. EVBox, a Dutch clean technology company, is a case in point. Their range of charging solutions can help expand the charging infrastructure. “Charging infrastructure expansion is in our blood: Within the past few years, we have already installed more than 60,000 charging points in over 45 countries. 23 percent of CO2 emissions are produced by traffic. This is why we believe in introducing positive changes to the transportation sector. A more widespread deployment of electric vehicles would drastically reduce emissions,” says Job Karstens, PR and Event Manager at EVBox. “So cities should invest in their charging infrastructure. For example, Amsterdam and Rotterdam – cities we equip with charging stations – have an international reputation as being forerunners in e-mobility.”
