Germany mandates petrol stations to install electric chargers

[ChasingCoral]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/oth...de-electric-car-charging/ar-BB151QfV?ocid=se2

Germany will require all petrol stations to provide electric car charging

By Christoph Steitz and Edward Taylor

© Reuters/Kai Pfaffenbach A battery charger sign for electric cars is painted on the ground of a parking ground near the soccer stadium in Wolfsburg

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Germany said it will oblige all petrol stations to offer electric car charging to help remove refuelling concerns and boost consumer demand for the vehicles as part of its 130 billion euro ($146 billion) economic recovery plan.

The move could provide a significant boost to electric vehicle demand along with the broader stimulus plan which included taxes to penalise ownership of large polluting combustion-engined sports utility vehicles and a 6,000 euro subsidy towards the cost of an electric vehicle.

© Reuters/RALPH ORLOWSKI Electric city Ruesselsheim project
Germany's announcement follows a French plan to boost electric car sales announced last week by President Macron.

"It's a very clear commitment to battery-powered vehicles and establishes electric mobility as a technology of the future," energy storage specialist The Mobility House, whose investors include Daimler and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, said.

"Internationally this puts Germany in the leading group of battery electric vehicle support."
As part of the government stimulus, 2.5 billion euros will be spent on battery cell production and charging infrastructure, a field where oil majors, utilities and carmakers, including Shell , Engie and Tesla , are vying for dominance.

Customer demand for electric cars has been constrained by concerns about the limited operating range of vehicles. In Germany, electric cars made up only 1.8% of new passenger car registrations last year, with diesel and petrol cars accounting for 32% and 59.2% respectively.

Of the 168,148 new registrations in May, only 5,578 or 3.3% were electric cars according to German vehicle agency KBA.

Diego Biasi, chairman and co-founder in Quercus Real Assets said the German plan would provide a significant boost to electric vehicle adoption.

"We know that 97% of the reason why they’re not buying electric cars is range anxiety. The German move is a way to try and fix this range anxiety since it means you know a petrol station is always open."

As of March 2020, Germany had 27,730 electric car charging stations according to BDEW, Germany's association for the energy and water industry.

To achieve a mass market for electric cars, at least 70,000 charging stations and 7,000 fast charging stations are required, according to BDEW.

Electric vehicle performance has improved by around 40% in the past decade, thanks to improvements in battery pack design and cell chemistry.

A similar improvement in fuel efficiency of gasoline powered cars has led to a reduction in the number of petrol stations. According to roadside assistance association ADAC, the number of petrol stations has fallen to 14,118 in 2020 from 40,640 in 1965.

(Reporting by Edward Taylor and Christoph Steitz in Frankfurt an Stephen Jewkes in Milan; Editing by Michelle Martin and Elaine Hardcastle)

 

[Billyk24]

I would assume this would be CCS chargers which is mandated in Europe. Can't see the usefulness of level 2 chargers at a petro station.

 

[dbsb3233]

That's awfully heavy-handed. I wouldn't expect that approach on this side of the world.

While it didn't quite say, I assume a lot of the cost is coming from that $146B (higher taxes?).

 

[dbsb3233]

I would assume this would be CCS chargers which is mandated in Europe. Can't see the usefulness of level 2 chargers at a petro station.

I was curious about that too. I'm not so sure it'll be mostly L3. While I agree L2 isn't nearly as useful at a standalone refuel point like a gas station, it's surely a lot cheaper. So unless they mandate L3, I suspect most will just install the minimum.

Unless of course the government is paying for it. Then I'd install the best they're willing to pay for if I were a gas station owner.

 

[TheSteelRider]

I understand the underlying logic and I understand this knee-jerkish policy because when I first started getting really interested in EVs around the time the Tesla Model S was released several years ago, it was the first thought I had -- oh no, all those gas stations should install chargers. After all, petrol stations are where pretty much all automobiles go to refill their energy reserves; therefore, regardless of whether the energy reserves come from liquid fuel or stored electrons in an electrolyte solution, there should be a single place to go for "fill up" in any case.

As I have become more educated I have realized the way EVs are "filled up" vs ICE cars is just vastly different, as is (currently) their use-case (e.g., they are most beneficial for local driving, less so for long distance, even less so for things like towing loads over long distances). As these substantial differences have revealed themselves to me, I am evermore convinced the opposite should be enacted, e.g., please enact a law prohibiting petrol stations from installing EV chargers!!! (that is sarcastic and joke, but then again mildly serious comment)

 

[ChasingCoral]

I understand the underlying logic and I understand this knee-jerkish policy because when I first started getting really interested in EVs around the time the Tesla Model S was released several years ago, it was the first thought I had -- oh no, all those gas stations should install chargers. After all, petrol stations are where pretty much all automobiles go to refill their energy reserves; therefore, regardless of whether the energy reserves come from liquid fuel or stored electrons in an electrolyte solution, there should be a single place to go for "fill up" in any case.

As I have become more educated I have realized the way EVs are "filled up" vs ICE cars is just vastly different, as is (currently) their use-case (e.g., they are most beneficial for local driving, less so for long distance, even less so for things like towing loads over long distances). As these substantial differences have revealed themselves to me, I am evermore convinced the opposite should be enacted, e.g., please enact a law prohibiting petrol stations from installing EV chargers!!! (that is sarcastic and joke, but then again mildly serious comment)

In some ways you are right. This is far from a perfect approach. If German petrol stations are interested in future-proofing, they need to consider what the future holds. Most gas stations in the US make more money off their convenience stores than their gas sales. Royal Farm stores, which have small fast-food restaurants inside, have made it a point to install L3 chargers to sell more of their "famous fried chicken" as BEV fill-ups give time to eat.

If I were putting this program in place in Germany, I would offer to install L3 chargers for free (or highly subsidized) at petrol stations and ban all new petrol stations that lack L3 chargers. That would move them into the right direction without mandating something that might not work in all locations. Recharging a BEV is a longer process, occupying what may be very limited space. This is not a problem in stations with large lots, especially those with restaurants, mini-marts, etc. However, there are some tiny urban stations that don't have the space needed for BEV charging. These urban areas are often better served by street-parking BEV chargers than by chargers in petrol stations.

 

[dbsb3233]

While there's certainly some overlap, it's reckless for them to assume that customer demand for L3 charging will be the same as it is for petrol. And since the customer demand patterns will be different, so should the location and quantity of charging stations.

First off, most BEV charging will occur at home. That alone dramatically shrinks demand for retail L3 charging relative to petrol. Second, L3 charging takes a long time relative to petrol. Most customers will want to keep from wasting all that time by double-dipping with shopping or eating. Many petrol stations don't have that onsite or nearby. Third, because most people charge at home, the demand for L3 charging is skewed away from the cities and toward the gaps between cities, for longer drives.

Applying a one-size-fits-all mandate like this is really misguided. And quite unfair to petrol stations.

 

[ChasingCoral]

While there's certainly some overlap, it's reckless for them to assume that customer demand for L3 charging will be the same as it is for petrol. And since the customer demand patterns will be different, so should the location and quantity of charging stations.

First off, most BEV charging will occur at home. That alone dramatically shrinks demand for retail L3 charging relative to petrol. Second, L3 charging takes a long time relative to petrol. Most customers will want to keep from wasting all that time by double-dipping with shopping or eating. Many petrol stations don't have that onsite or nearby. Third, because most people charge at home, the demand for L3 charging is skewed away from the cities and toward the gaps between cities, for longer drives.

Applying a one-size-fits-all mandate like this is really misguided. And quite unfair to petrol stations.

Don't forget that in the core of many urban areas, especially in Europe, people park on the street and have no access to "home" charging. Even in apartment complexes, the same issue applies. For these residents there are two good BEV options: a large number of street-side or parking lot L2 chargers that will primarily be used to charge overnight, or a smaller number of L3 stations convenient to either home, work, or another common destination. L3s at urban grocery stores makes a lot of sense. However, many urban core petrol stations are in shopping/dining districts, so L3 charging would be convenient there.

For BEVs to penetrate the market of folks who don't have a detached home with dedicated parking (especially a garage or carport), we need to think about those who live in other types of homes.

 

[dbsb3233]

Don't forget that in the core of many urban areas, especially in Europe, people park on the street and have no access to "home" charging. Even in apartment complexes, the same issue applies. For these residents there are two good BEV options: a large number of street-side or parking lot L2 chargers that will primarily be used to charge overnight, or a smaller number of L3 stations convenient to either home, work, or another common destination. L3s at urban grocery stores makes a lot of sense. However, many urban core petrol stations are in shopping/dining districts, so L3 charging would be convenient there.

For BEVs to penetrate the market of folks who don't have a detached home with dedicated parking (especially a garage or carport), we need to think about those who live in other types of homes.

I'd never buy a BEV if I had to charge it on slow L3 chargers all the time. No way I'd put up with 30 minute charges at least once a week where I had to babysit the car every time. I don't think most people would either.

The main advantage of a BEV is conveniently charging cheaply at home at night. Park it, plug in, and forget it until tomorrow. Without that, it turns BEVs from an advantage vs ICE into a disadvantage vs ICE. At a significantly higher cost. Who's gonna spend $10,000 extra to lose an additional half hour every week to charger babyitting? (Other than hardcore BEV enthusiasts.) It's easier and cheaper just to keep buying ICE if you can't park it and forget it on a cheap L2 charger most of the time.

 

[ChasingCoral]

I'd never buy a BEV if I had to charge it on slow L3 chargers all the time. No way I'd put up with 30 minute charges at least once a week where I had to babysit the car every time. I don't think most people would either.

The main advantage of a BEV is conveniently charging cheaply at home at night. Park it, plug in, and forget it until tomorrow. Without that, it turns BEVs from an advantage vs ICE into a disadvantage vs ICE. At a significantly higher cost. Who's gonna spend $10,000 extra to lose an additional half hour every week to charger babyitting? (Other than hardcore BEV enthusiasts.) It's easier and cheaper just to keep buying ICE if you can't park it and forget it on a cheap L2 charger most of the time.

Sounds like you've never owned a car in the center of a big city. I've talked with friends who have to street park their cars in dense areas of DC. It's already a real hassle, not sure charging at a close-by station would be all that bad.

 

[dbsb3233]

Sounds like you've never owned a car in the center of a big city. I've talked with friends who have to street park their cars in dense areas of DC. It's already a real hassle, not sure charging at a close-by station would be all that bad.

I've never lived downtown, but I did work and drive downtown for many years. I'm familiar with how housing works in and around the center of cities (with mostly street parking). What I'm telling you is that I simply wouldn't choose a BEV if I lived in an area like that where I didn't have secure, guaranteed "park it and forget it" charging overnight (or daytime at work). I'd just keep buying ICE where my weekly refuels would only waste 3-4 minutes instead of 30-40 minutes.

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