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06

What's plugging into the grid?

The Charge

Millions of cars and the first electric trucks are becoming the grid's newest, most flexible load. This is where they plug in, what it costs to charge, and how much of the promise is actually built.

Charging Network Chart

Germany's public charge points — how many, how fast, who runs them, and where they cluster.

Public charge points only; the real network is larger.

204 038public charge points

Europe Compared Chart

The EU's public charging network — over a million points, most of them in just three countries.

AFIR corridor figures are legal targets; coverage is measured against them, not asserted as met.

1 155 861EU public recharging points

The Price Jungle Chart

What public charging actually costs — a spread so wide the competition authority investigated it.

A snapshot of published tariffs, dated at the source; the BNetzA collects no tariff data, so this is a cited range, not a settled figure.

€0.29–0.89public tariffs, €/kWh

Demand on the Grid Chart

What EVs actually draw today — roughly a hundredth of German demand — against the scenarios for 2030.

Realized demand is an estimate — no official statistic isolates EV charging. The figures for 2030 are scenario projections, not a forecast.

~1%of German demand today, estimate

Vehicle-to-Grid Chart

The rules arrived and the first offers launched — while realized participation is still near zero.

The rules and the offers are live; realized participation is near zero, gated by the smart-meter rollout.

~3%smart-meter penetration, the gate

Trucks & Buses Chart

Heavy-duty, honestly split: buses are in service by the thousand; truck charging is mostly still a tender.

Truck-charging figures are targets and pilots; bus figures are vehicles in service. The two are not the same kind of number.

836 of 4 200truck charge points, awarded vs target

Charging Economics Chart

Is public fast charging profitable? The one operator with audited public books says: not yet — but closer.

One listed company's audited results — a window into the sector, not the sector.

+€44m / −€30mFastned FY2025, EBITDA vs net result

The 2035 Question Chart

Brussels reopened the 2035 combustion phase-out — the competing estimates, cited, with no verdict.

A live legislative negotiation — cited positions and competing estimates, not a verdict.

90% vs 100%proposed vs current 2035 CO₂ cut
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