Germany’s electric vehicle charging points saw 27 percent increase in 2016

The amount of electric vehicle charging points for public use in Germany increased by 27 percent in 2016, consisting of hundreds more fast-charging units, amidst efforts to increase the technology throughout Europe.

Germany now has an estimated of 7,407 charging points, electricity industry group BDEW stated on Friday. Of those included in 2016, 292 units were quick charging (direct current) points that can refill an electric automobile in minutes.

With public and government support boosting for electric car technologies, utilities such as Innogy and E.ON are developing charging networks to take advantage of the industry.

BDEW’s managing director Stefan Kapferer stated government funding was still crucial to make it practical to run charging points, given the low amount of electric vehicles.

The number of electric vehicles in Germany increased 29 percent to 77,153 in last year, up from just 4,000 in 2011, BDEW stated.

Kapferer likewise said the innovation needed to be established even more, citing inductive charging as one manner which could assist to acquire new customers.

The long period of time it takes to charge batteries is one of the primary drawbacks of electric cars compared with traditional cars with fuel tanks that can be filled in seconds.