E-charging stations at the limit: medium-sized businesses fight against bureaucracy!

E-charging stations at the limit: medium-sized businesses fight against bureaucracy!

Stationary retail in Germany is facing a crucial challenge. Gas station operators are increasingly relying on charging stations for electric vehicles in order to position themselves for a future with modern mobility. However, the high investment costs and a difficult-to-penetrate bureaucratic landscape put medium-sized companies in particular under pressure. Loud World For many people, investing in charging stations is not worth it. Carsten Müller, CEO of the Federal Association of Independent Gas Stations (BfT), describes the following situation: Only around one electric car per day comes to the fast charging stations. These figures show how challenging the current situation is for charging station operators.

In 2024, the members of the BfT, who represent a total of 2,766 gas stations in Germany, only sold 9,000 kilowatt hours to e-charging stations. This corresponds to around 100 electricity charges for larger electric cars. Despite the dynamic development of the number of cars, which rose from 41.7 million to 49.1 million, the sales figures for charging stations are still sobering. The number of filling stations remains stable at around 14,000, but fossil fuel sales remain the main source of revenue, although they are becoming less important.

Bureaucratic hurdles for e-charging stations

The main obstacles to the expansion of electric charging stations are the long approval times and the often missing network connections. Müller describes the charging stations as “objects to be written off” for many medium-sized companies. The investment sums required to install a high-performance charging station (Hypercharger) can be up to around 350,000 euros, which puts a considerable burden on small companies. Bundestag reports that a bill is being sought to modernize electricity and energy tax law in order to reduce bureaucracy and relieve the burden on charging station operators. The draft gives users of electric vehicles the opportunity not to be considered a supplier when charging bi-directionally and thus avoid tax obligations.

However, numerous critics express concerns. The Federation of German Industries (BDI) complains that the relief primarily benefits the administration and not the companies. There are also concerns about the economic burden on other areas, such as the tax burden on bioenergy.

Growing costs and alternative sources of income

Another economic risk for gas stations is the planned increase in the minimum wage to 15 euros. This could further increase labor costs, which already account for between 53% and 62% of operating costs. For this reason, many operators are also considering automating their offers or introducing self-service options. These developments could influence the future of many medium-sized gas stations, whose main sources of income, in addition to the sale of fuel, are the shop business and services such as car washes.

With an average turnover of 1.25 million euros per year and a profit of 235,148 euros, tobacco products (66%) and drinks (11%) are the most popular products in petrol station shops, while the sale of fossil fuels continues to play a central role. But how long will this continue to be the case? Given the changing mobility and the growing pressure on the industry, the development of e-mobility could be crucial for the future of gas stations in Germany.