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Germany to Have Hybrid Gas Stations as Installing EV Chargers Becomes Mandatory

Up to this point, electric vehicles and traditional ones had different ways of procuring fuel. The former had the option between charging at home or at a public station, while the latter have been using the gas station for literally over a century.
Tesla owners blocking gas station in protest 1 photo
Photo: Igor Kolovrat on Facebook
Exactly why gas and charging stations have been kept apart so far is anyone's guess, but it looks like Germany will be the first country to force a friendship between the two. As part of its $146 billion (€130 billion) economic recovery plan, conventional fuel stations will be required to also offer charging solutions for battery-powered vehicles.

According to Automotive News Europe, the local government sees the move as a stimulus for more extensive adoption of EVs by the German public. The country's market for this type of vehicles has been on the rise lately, but it looks like the authorities are aiming for even quicker growth.

The mandatory placement of chargers in gas stations is not the only measure meant to support the EV industry, but it's one of the few that impacts those who already own zero-emissions cars. The others are aimed either at those looking to buy one (increasing the subsidies upon purchase), or at those driving heavily polluting cars (increasing the taxes based on emissions or engine displacement).

Diego Biasi, chairman and co-founder of Quercus Real Assets, says the main reason market penetration for EVs in Germany is still at a lowly 3.3 percent (in May 2020, as compared to 1.8% for the whole of 2019) is still range anxiety. Despite an average improvement in maximum range of roughly 40 percent over the past ten years thanks to advancements in battery pack technology and battery pack design, the general public is still hesitant.

For those living in the U.S., this may sound strange. Here's a country considerably smaller in size and with a greatly denser population (623 people per square mile, as opposed to 94 in the US), that yet somehow is more fearful of running out of juice in an electric vehicle. Part of the answer probably lies with the fact that home charging wouldn't be as widely available as in North America since a lot of people live in multi-apartment buildings, but that still can't explain the phenomenon fully.

"We know that 97 percent of the reason why they’re not buying electric cars is range anxiety,” Biasi said. “The German move is a way to try and fix this range anxiety, since it means you know a petrol station is always open." Indeed, the familiarity of a gas station should help boost EV adoption, particularly since it means a coffee or a meal are also an option during the wait.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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