On 19 December 2019, Federal Minister Andreas Scheuer commissioned NOW GmbH with the establishment and operation of the new National Centre for Charging Infrastructure. Please note the following information provided by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI – Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur):
Charging infrastructure is coming!
New National Centre for Charging Infrastructure established / Key points for the financing of fast-charging infrastructure
Federal Minister Andreas Scheuer:
“Promise. Held! Yesterday, I commissioned NOW GmbH with the establishment and operation of the new National Centre for Charging Infrastructure. With this, we are rigorously implementing the master plan for charging infrastructure. The National Centre will ensure the rapid and coordinated development of nationwide charging facilities in Germany. The automotive industry and the energy industry have pledged to actively support the Centre in this process. In addition, we have now fixed the cornerstones for the promotion of fast-charging infrastructure. In addition to the funding support as at present, calls for tenders for larger lots will be issued, in which the top locations will be mixed with the less lucrative sites to ensure the establishment of an overall network. Charging must become as straightforward, convenient and as natural as is the case with mobile phones. We are also laying down a set of uniform regulations for the activation of the charging point and payment. Our first target is 1,000 fast-charging locations.”
Relevant facts:
- NOW GmbH is being commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) to establish and operate a National Centre for Charging Infrastructure.
- The National Centre for Charging Infrastructure is to be based at NOW GmbH for the long term. NOW GmbH already coordinates and manages the BMVI’s charging infrastructure funding guidelines. In the coming months, the new Centre will be expanded for full operation in the area of “Electric Mobility Infrastructure”.
- The primary tasks of the Control Centre are the assessment of demand, the planning and coordinated development of a nationwide fast-charging network, the coordination of federal and state activities as well as the support of local authorities in the planning and implementation of the charging infrastructure.
- The automotive and energy sectors will, for example, provide the National Centre with the necessary information for the perfectly aligned development of charging infrastructure. This includes the number of new registrations that are anticipated, the future battery sizes, the charging performance of BEVs and PHEVs and their relationship to each other. The automotive industry has pledged to provide us with this data.
- The focus is on the expansion of a network for ultra-fast charging in Germany: The first goal is to establish 1,000 new fast-charging locations with a sufficient number of charging points per location, which can also be rapidly expanded.
- With the “StandortTOOL” location tool (www.standorttool.de), NOW GmbH has already developed a planning tool on behalf of the BMVI, with which the nationwide charging infrastructure for passenger cars and commercial vehicles can be planned up to the year 2030 and the further expansion requirements assessed. The location tool identifies the future need for additional charging points and takes into account traffic flows, socio-economic data and existing infrastructure.
- The expansion of the charging infrastructure and the identification of suitable areas are to be undertaken in close cooperation between the federal, state and local authorities. In addition, new financing instruments will be developed to ensure rapid, reliable and user-friendly expansion.
- The presence of sufficient charging infrastructure is crucial for consumers’ purchasing decisions and thus for the ramp-up of electric mobility. It is therefore necessary for the federal government to enable an initially disproportionate development of charging infrastructure in preparation for the market (a forward-looking expansion of this infrastructure).
- At present, the development and operation of charging infrastructure is still not very profitable and there are only very few viable business models. Besides locations that will be profitable in the near future due to their favourable location, other locations will continue to be less frequented in the future. However, these are of utmost importance for a nationwide network and for user acceptance. We will put larger lots out to tender in which we bundle these types of locations.
- For this reason, the Federal Government will provide start-up funding with a new financing model. In this way, we will ensure planning security for the operators of the charging infrastructure.
- In this context, we will also determine by when the charging stations must be installed and how registration and payment should be made. We will also work towards a standardisation of prices and demand consistent and reliable operation. In this way, we will ensure planning security for users and also for manufacturers of electric vehicles.
Contact persons NOW GmbH:
Nina Posdziech
Communications Manager
Telephone: 030-311 61 16-44
Mail:
Johannes Pallasch
Team Leader and Head of Programme Recharging Infrastructure (LIS)
Telephone: 030-311 61 16-70
Mail:
Dominique Sevin
Programme Manager Recharging Infrastructure (LIS)
Telephone: 030-311 61 16-40
Mail: