Electromobility and charging infrastructure for the drive transition

Companies are important players in climate protection and can also make a significant contribution to a climate-neutral future in the area of transportation. For example, converting the vehicle fleet to electric vehicles or providing charging facilities are options from which the company itself can also benefit. For example, companies can set up charging stations for their electric vehicle fleet on the company premises, eliminating the need to travel to the filling station and compare prices in search of the best charging option. Electricity costs for companies are also often cheaper than for private individuals. Companies can also benefit from having their own photovoltaic system. Charging facilities for electric vehicles also offer positive benefits for employees, guests and customers.

Companies are supported in this process by a variety of funding programs. An overview of all funding programs for companies on the subject of electromobility and charging infrastructure can be found at the State Energy Agency KEA.

The State Agency for Mobility Solutions and Automotive Baden-Württemberg provides an introduction and application examples for the electrification of vehicle fleets, including a checklist.

The Baden-Württemberg Climate Protection and Energy Agency also offers a fleet platform for companies with analysis tools, cost calculators, work aids and templates.

While it is possible for many people to switch completely to bicycles or public transport, especially in cities, people in rural areas are often unable to completely do without their own car. Here, too, the purchase of an electric vehicle is a climate-friendly alternative.

Along with the purchase of an electric car, the installation of an own charging station can be combined with a photovoltaic system. This means that the car can be charged with self-generated electricity right on the doorstep. Thanks to the ongoing expansion of publicly accessible charging infrastructure throughout the country, charging in public is also becoming increasingly seamless.

Homeowners' associations have the opportunity to receive funding for the installation of charging infrastructure for e-cars via the Charge@BW funding program of the state of Baden-Württemberg. The program subsidizes up to 40% of the costs for the electrical installation.

An overview of current funding programs for buildings and building technology for private individuals, including photovoltaic funding, can be found on the website of the State Energy Agency KEA.

Municipalities are essential for achieving climate targets, including in the transport sector. For example, they can create the conditions for climate-friendly use of electric mobility in their municipality by providing an attractive charging infrastructure. They can also play a pioneering role by converting their own vehicle fleet to climate-friendly vehicles.

A clear overview of all funding programs that are available to municipalities can be found at the State Energy Agency KEA.

The KEA also offers a vehicle fleet platform for local authorities with analysis tools, cost calculators, work aids and templates.

Information for planning charging infrastructure in municipalities has also been compiled by e-mobil BW.

The charging infrastructure has made considerable progress in recent years. In 2017, 6,685 publicly accessible charging points for electric vehicles were available in Germany. In 2024, there were more than 18 times as many charging stations in Germany, namely over 123,400, including many fast charging stations. There are also over 400 publicly accessible charging stations in the Ludwigsburg district, almost half of which have been built in the last three years. The expansion of the public charging infrastructure is therefore also progressing in the district of Ludwigsburg!
Anoverview of all public charging stationscan be found at the Federal Network Agency.

The range of electric cars has risen steadily in recent years. While the average range in 2010 was still around 123 kilometers, this had already risen to 393 kilometers by 2023. Some electric cars even have ranges of over 600 kilometers. Advances in battery technology will make even greater ranges of up to 1,000 kilometers possible in the future. In addition, the fast-charging options for cars are improving, so that they can charge ever larger amounts of electricity in an ever shorter time. Longer journeys can be planned with theroute planner for electric carsplan longer trips.

Electric cars are emission-free! However,_{CO2 emissions} are generated during electricity production by the power plants. The carbon footprint of an electric car is therefore largely determined by the way in which electricity is generated. An increasing proportion of renewable energies and expected improvements in battery technology will make electric cars even more climate-friendly in the future. Electric cars already produce 30-40 percent less_CO2 over their entire service life than comparable combustion engines.

Electric cars do not have a higher fire risk than petrol or diesel cars! Neither electric cars nor combustion engines can rule out the possibility of a vehicle catching fire due to a defect, for example, but statistically this is very rare. According to statistics, electric cars do not burn more frequently than vehicles with petrol or diesel engines. Crash tests have also shown that electric cars have very high safety standards.

For safety reasons, however, an electric car should not be charged at a conventional household socket, as these are not designed for such a high current load and can therefore overheat. However, a so-called wallbox can be installed for this purpose. These are special charging stations for electric cars, which are usually installed on a wall and connected to the house via a separate circuit. The installation can be easily carried out by an electrician. Further information on installing a wallbox at home can be foundhere.

If you live in a rented apartment, you must first obtain permission from your landlord to install a wallbox at your parking space. However, tenants have the right to their own charging station, which is why landlords cannot generally refuse installation. Installation can only be refused due to special circumstances such as listed buildings.
It also makes sense to involve other tenants in the planning. This can reduce the cost of installing a wallbox and the landlord may be more open to the project.

The gross list price of electric cars is usually still higher than that of comparable combustion engines. However, due to continuous technological developments and increasing sales figures, production costs are expected to fall in the future.

In addition, electric cars are often cheaper than combustion engines in terms of operating costs, repair costs, taxes and insurance, for example due to the exemption from vehicle tax. In terms of overall costs, electric vehicles are therefore often cheaper than combustion engines.

Due to the expected price increases for diesel and petrol as a result of CO2 pricing, the cost advantage is likely to increase further in the coming years.

Electric vehicles only account for a small proportion of total electricity consumption - this is forecast to be around 5 percent by 2030. Rather, the main problem is grid capacity when many electric vehicles are charging at the same time. However, model tests show that not all electric vehicles need to charge at the same time and that the grid capacity is sufficient even in areas with a high density of electric cars.