Heilbronn Leads in Public Electric Vehicle Charging Accessibility

The availability of public charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) varies significantly across Germany, with Heilbronn emerging as a leading city in accessibility. According to a recent analysis of data from the Federal Motor Transport Authority and the Federal Network Agency, Heilbronn boasts a ratio of 4.9 electric cars and plug-in hybrids for every public charging point, starkly contrasting with the Bodenseekreis, where approximately 50 EVs share a single charging station.

This disparity highlights the uneven distribution of charging infrastructure throughout the country. Other regions performing well in terms of charging accessibility include Oder-Spree, Emden, Böblingen, and Saale-Orla-Kreis, with each area having between 5 and 6 electric vehicles per public charging point as of January 1, 2025. The data reveals that while the number of charging points is crucial, the number of electric vehicles registered also plays a significant role in determining accessibility.

Major cities such as Berlin, Stuttgart, Hamburg, and Munich dominate the top rankings for charging points. However, the demand in these urban areas is much higher due to a greater number of registered electric vehicles. For instance, Berlin has over 70,000 registered EVs, while Heilbronn has approximately 3,700. This difference in demand impacts the rankings, as regions like Heilbronn and Böblingen achieve high placement thanks to a favorable balance between the number of charging points and the number of electric vehicles.

In Heilbronn, electric vehicles account for 5.3% of the total vehicle fleet, aligning with the national average, while Böblingen slightly exceeds this at 6.4%. Conversely, the Saale-Orla-Kreis's high ranking can be attributed to a much lower percentage of electric vehicles, with only 2.2% of the local fleet being electric.

The analysis also indicates that the lower tier of the rankings does not include any regions from Eastern Germany, with the last-place Bodenseekreis found in Baden-Württemberg, alongside areas in Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Rhineland-Palatinate. In these regions, the number of registered electric vehicles is also notably low, contributing to their poor performance.

Thüringen stands out as the leading state in terms of charging accessibility, followed closely by Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Sachsen, where the average ratio is less than twelve electric vehicles per charging point. In contrast, Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate rank at the bottom, with over 20 electric vehicles per charging point, reflecting a below-average percentage of electric vehicles in their respective vehicle fleets.

As the transition to electric mobility continues, understanding the distribution of charging infrastructure becomes crucial for fostering growth in the EV market across Germany.