Electric cars: Number of public charging points grows to almost 180,000

The expansion of charging infrastructure in Germany continues to progress, albeit slower than in previous years. As of October 1, 2025, 179,938 public charging points were connected to the grid, according to the Bundesnetzagentur. That is 24,354 more than a year earlier. The cumulative nominal power of all charging facilities is 7.33 GW.

Strong growth in DC charging points

An increasing shift in expansion is being observed. The number of public AC charging points grew from 122,639 to 135,691—an increase of 13,052 or 11  percent. For a long time, the expansion of DC charging points lagged far behind in direct comparison, but it is now catching up significantly. A year ago, there were 32,945 charging points with at least 50 kW, now there are 44,247. That is 34 percent, or 11,302 more. 8955 of these can provide at least 150 kW of charging power.

In terms of connectors, Type 2 and CCS dominate the market, while the number of CHAdeMO charging points in Germany is even declining. This is bad news for owners of some older electric cars or plug-in hybrids that are special in this regard, such as the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (Test). In the worst case, they are left with no choice but to purchase a CHAdeMO to CCS adapter, which is very expensive—or to charge with alternating current.

Expansion is slowing down

North Rhine-Westphalia saw the largest increase in charging points. A year ago, 29,780 were registered with the Bundesnetzagentur; now there are 35,286. For comparison: in Thuringia there were 3660 (plus 539), in Saxony-Anhalt 3100 (plus 499), and in Schleswig-Holstein 7073 (plus 861). Overall, the network is not expected to grow as strongly this year as in previous years. In 2023, around 41,000 public charging points were connected to the grid, and in 2024, slightly more than 33,000. This year, about 16,500 new charging points have been reported to the Bundesnetzagentur by early October.

(mfz)