"The Market Is Working”: Martin Roemheld (EnBW) on the Future of Fast Charging

Interview with Martin Roemheld, responsible for e-mobility at EnBW

How would you assess the current state of public charging infrastructure in Germany—where has the most progress been made, and where do structural shortcomings still exist? Where would you place EnBW in the market?

Germany continues to make noticeable progress in expanding its charging infrastructure—and EnBW is one of the key drivers of this development. Currently, there is no bottleneck in the charging infrastructure. Figures from the Federal Network Agency confirm this: As of January 1, 2026, nearly 194,000 public charging points were in operation across Germany. This represents 17 percent growth within a single year. Fast charging is developing particularly rapidly: The number of fast-charging stations increased by 33 percent over the same period – and in this very segment, we are the market leader with more than 8,000 fast-charging stations in Germany. We see particular progress in the establishment of high-performance fast-charging points along highways, in retail locations, and increasingly in cities as well. These locations not only make charging faster but also more practical for everyday use and more convenient. It is now crucial that the growth in the number of electric vehicles keeps pace with the expansion of electric mobility. Subsidies for electric cars are therefore the right signal to further align the vehicle fleet with the infrastructure.

EnBW is not only active in Germany but throughout Europe as well – how does that change your statement regarding the current state of expansion?

In Germany, we are continuing to consistently expand our own fast-charging network and aim to maintain a defined market share. At the same time, electric mobility is a European market, which is precisely why we are pursuing a partnership-based approach beyond our borders. With the EnBW mobility+ app, we offer our customers access to more than 900,000 charging points from hundreds of operators in 17 European countries. What matters most to us is that customers should be able to charge reliably anywhere – regardless of which country they’re traveling in or who operates the charging station. This also works at the many thousands of AC charging points that, for example, do not have a payment terminal. All charging sessions can be billed conveniently and centrally. In addition, the complete charging history is available in the app. Through our own network in Germany and our EnBW mobility+ app, we thus provide a comprehensive and reliable service.

The German government is once again offering subsidies for the purchase of electric cars, but is largely leaving the expansion of the charging infrastructure to private investors. Is this model sufficient to reliably ensure further expansion – or do you believe additional government incentives are needed to expand public charging infrastructure?

As mentioned at the beginning, EnBW welcomes the reintroduction of electric car subsidies. This step sends an important signal for the mobility transition. So far, the public charging infrastructure has developed much faster than the number of electric vehicles – both in terms of quantity and the available charging capacity at the outlet. Now the goal is to increase the utilization of the existing infrastructure, and for that we need more electric cars on the roads. The approved subsidy can serve as a catalyst. We at EnBW have invested heavily in charging infrastructure in recent years and have made an upfront investment of several hundred million euros. There are hardly any gaps left – our customers can reach an EnBW fast-charging station within 50 kilometers. From our perspective, therefore, there is no need for further subsidies for the charging infrastructure, which is already sufficiently available and will continue to be expanded by us in line with demand and in a competitive manner. It should be added, however, that all measures that help further reduce energy costs during charging will accelerate the mobility transition.

EnBW entered this promising market very early on and with a strong presence as a charging infrastructure operator. To what extent have partnerships –for example, with charging station manufacturers like Alpitronic – been mutually beneficial?

That’s right; EnBW deliberately entered the expansion of the fast-charging infrastructure very early on – at a time when many did not believe in the success of electric mobility. We developed and scaled solutions, created future-proof backend systems, and built a practical app. In doing so, we’ve learned a great deal and continued to evolve over the past few years. From the very beginning, it was clear that e-mobility could only become a success story for us if we and our strong partners pulled together. After all, EnBW builds and operates charging stations, but we’ve very deliberately chosen not to become a hardware manufacturer. Close collaboration with manufacturers like Alpitronic was therefore essential. On the one hand, we were able to provide very precise feedback on what we wanted to offer our customers. Alpitronic, in close collaboration with our hardware experts and our lab, further developed the great products that our customers can now experience in the HyperNetz.

From a user’s perspective, paying at charging stations is often seen as fragmented and lacking transparency. In your view, what would need to change to make charging as simple as filling up at a gas station?

You mentioned the comparison to gas stations. Unlike the volatile fuel market, our rates remain stable – in fact, charging on the EnBW network costs the same everywhere and at all times. It is important to us to offer customers predictability and reliability. That is why we have managed to keep our charging prices stable despite the tense situation in the Middle East. We plan to do the same in the coming months. At the same time, it is important to understand that, unlike the gas station business, e-mobility is a digital business model. Prices are transparent and can be compared at any time via app, display, or the web. This is new to many. That’s because different providers share the charging infrastructure and offer different products. In short: Not all providers have their own charging stations. Some merely offer rates, while others operate only physical charging networks. This is then reflected in varying prices. In many industries, it’s common for customers to benefit from more favorable terms with regular use. It’s no different in the charging market. At EnBW, we not only offer the largest fast-charging network in Germany but also very favorable rates. Frequent drivers can charge with us starting at just 39 cents per kilowatt-hour (with a monthly base fee of 11.99 euros). If customers also have an electricity or gas contract with EnBW, they additionally benefit from the preferential rate and can charge their vehicles at more than 8,000 EnBW fast chargers starting at just 35 cents/kWh. Even with our entry-level S rate (56 c/kWh) with no base fee, driving is cheaper than with a combustion engine vehicle.

From your personal perspective, what regulatory requirements for standards regarding payment, price display, and roaming are needed, and where does excessive regulation tend to hinder innovation? Is there perhaps a practical example here?

First, I’d like to emphasize once again: The charging market is developing rapidly and it works. This is demonstrated not least by the many different charging options available to electric vehicle drivers. We currently see no need for more regulation than is already mandated by AFIR, the Price Indication Regulation, and the Charging Station Regulation. In the public discourse, the call for more transparency and regulation is linked to the expectation of falling prices. We consider this a misjudgment. In our view, there are many levers that could reduce charging costs overall. At the top of the list is infrastructure utilization. That is the biggest lever. Additional costs can be reduced through simplifications in building permit applications or grid connections, as well as a reduction in government-imposed components such as the electricity tax. This once again highlights how important stable and reliable framework conditions are for the development of the market. It is also important that we consistently listen to our customers and use their feedback to drive further product development. For us, it is absolutely crucial to understand which offers our customers accept – and which they do not. This gives us far better insights for customer-oriented offers than comparisons derived from the world of internal combustion engines. Only consistent customer focus creates the trust and acceptance needed for the further ramp-up of electric mobility.

Which three developments will most significantly change public charging over the next five years—technologically, economically, or regulatory?

Three examples alone cannot explain the development; it will be a combination of various factors. It is difficult to predict how competition will evolve. It is already fierce today and serves as proof that the charging market is functioning. Consumers benefit from this. I am certain they will continue to do so in five years – and the same goes for charging power. I expect that the 400 kW chargers of today will be as common on the road in five years as the 50 kW stations once were. But we must continue to adapt the infrastructure to the increasing charging performance of electric cars and install ever-more-powerful HPC stations. I was recently in China and saw vehicles there that can charge from 10 to 80 percent in four minutes using so-called 15C battery cells. In the medium term, we must also prepare for such charging capabilities in the German market. This means that in the future we will see more and more city hubs designed primarily to help customers without their own charging facilities to charge their cars quickly and affordably in the city, just like at a gas station. Of course, the framework conditions must be right for this. One of the biggest challenges in expanding the charging infrastructure remains the grid connection. At EnBW, we handle the acquisition of sites very professionally and consistently, and we also have the installation of the charging stations under control. However, regional permits and, above all, the technical connection to the power grid can take many months in Germany. This should improve in the near future.