There is still a lack of implementation – many of the requested items for charging electric cars are not yet available. The Association of the Automotive Industry criticizes the procedure as being too bureaucratic.
Customers should be able to charge their e-cars in the parking lots of supermarkets, hotels or restaurants. Half a year after the start of a funding program for charging points at such locations, a good 3300 applications have been received, according to the Federal Ministry of Transport.
The previous funding volume is 180 million euros. From the point of view of the automotive industry, however, it takes too long before the charging points are actually installed. “The main reason is too much bureaucracy,” said the industry association VDA.
The ministry did not give a specific number on Friday. “The first charging points, the construction of which was supported within the framework of this funding guideline, are already in operation,” was all it said. How many of the 3300 applications were approved remained open. The Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) is assuming a single-digit percentage.
Various causes of delay
A total of 300 million euros are available in the “On-site charging infrastructure” program. So far, another program that subsidizes homeowners for private installation at home has led to significantly more charging points. According to official figures, 135,000 private charging points were put into operation by the end of August with the help of the “charging infrastructure in residential buildings” guideline.
“Projects to build publicly accessible charging infrastructure, especially for fast charging stations, are much more complex,” said the ministry. In addition to technical reasons, this results from the necessary approval procedures and the establishment of the network connections. These are frequent causes of delays. “It cannot be that bureaucracy slows down the transformation,” said VDA managing director Joachim Damasky.
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
