Does EV Charging Need a Massive Rethink?

The promise of electric vehicles (EVs) is real — clean energy, low emissions, and a drastically different relationship with fueling. Based on the progress of e-mobility in China, the transition to EVs is expected to happen much faster than we initially thought. However, there’s still one major hurdle that we continuously face: charging.

We often assume that EV adoption will rise alongside home charging infrastructure, and while this might hold true for some, it is not a scalable or inclusive solution, particularly in Europe’s urban centers.

Home charging, at first glance, seems like an ideal solution. It’s convenient and familiar, and for those with the space, it’s relatively simple to manage. But the assumption that most EV drivers will be able to charge their vehicles at home is deeply flawed.

The European Experience

Take Dublin, for example. According to the 2016 census, 72% of homes were designated as houses. However, many of these homes don’t have a driveway, and in some cases, residents have no off-street parking at all. In these situations, people have resorted to hanging cables over sidewalks as a workaround—an obviously unsafe, unsightly, and legally questionable practice. Dublin is not alone in this challenge, and this issue is prevalent in many large European cities.

In fact, in cities like Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich, the majority of people live in rented accommodation, mostly apartments. For renters, the hurdles are enormous. Installing a private charger often means relying on landlords to invest in the necessary infrastructure and navigate complex regulations.

Even if landlords are willing, many older buildings weren’t designed to handle the additional electrical load required for EV chargers. The cost of installing a private charger can also be prohibitive, with prices often reaching upwards of €2,000–€2,500, and additional costs may be needed for rewiring or structural adjustments.

So, what happens to the 75–80% of people who don’t have access to home charging? This is where the true infrastructure gap lies, and it’s where we need to shift our mindset.

The Same Challenges Exist Here in The US

It’s crucial to think like an EV driver and not just an engineer when designing charging infrastructure. A significant issue is that often EV charging strategies are shaped by people who don’t drive EVs themselves — city planners, investors, policymakers, and even automotive executives. If you don’t experience the daily reality of driving and charging an EV, it’s difficult to design solutions that actually work for the end-user.

While highway charging in countries like Germany is relatively advanced, urban and rural areas are still struggling. Many cities have responded to the growing demand for EVs by installing slow AC chargers, but this approach has proven shortsighted. Slow chargers don’t serve enough vehicles fast enough, and issues like overstay penalties discourage use, leaving vehicles blocking charging stations long after they’ve completed their charge.

Rural charging presents its own challenges. It’s harder to justify investment in these areas without high utilization, but some companies are taking bold steps. For example, Shell is installing fast chargers at supermarkets in Eastern Germany, a move that signals progress in making rural charging more accessible.

Installing EV chargers is not a plug-and-play process. Unlike car manufacturing, which scales through efficient production lines, EV charger deployment is more of a batch process. Each installation is essentially a construction project, involving permits, engineering, and regulatory hurdles. In some cases, these projects can take up to two years to complete.

Even with the strong growth in EV sales — for example, Germany is projected to reach 873,000 EVs sold in 2025, a 53% year-on-year increase — the charging infrastructure simply isn’t keeping pace. The solution is to move beyond the myth that home charging will solve the problem and recognize that fast, distributed public charging should be the default, not the backup.

There Must be an Ecosystem

Investing in urban fast-charging hubs, supporting retail, workplace, and on-street charging, and replacing low-power AC chargers with more effective DC infrastructure are all key strategies to consider. Incentivizing private sector players to expand coverage into low-demand areas will help address the infrastructure gap, and we need to rethink the design of charging parks. Many charging locations are isolated, uninviting, and poorly lit — far from the welcoming, safe spaces they should be.

As the EV revolution continues, automakers are ready to scale production, but charging infrastructure remains the bottleneck. We must stop thinking in terms of where it’s easiest to install chargers and start planning around where people need them most. If we don’t, the growth of EV adoption could stall — not because of a lack of demand, but because of a lack of infrastructure and foresight.

It’s time to start planning for the 75–80% of people who can’t rely on home charging. Let’s build a charging network that serves everyone, no matter where they live.

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