Emden loses top spot: Where are the most e-charging points?

Emden loses top spot: Where are the most e-charging points?

A new ranking from the Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) has caused a stir these days. Because one thing is certain: the top dog, Emden, had to give up its first place in the list of cities with the best charging infrastructure for electric cars. The Heilbronn district is now at the top, while Emden has slipped to second place. The T value for Emden is now 5.2, which corresponds to an increase compared to the previous year: 4.5. The number of electric cars in the city has increased to 1,168 vehicles, although the number of charging points fell from 235 to 223.

But how is Lower Saxony performing overall in the race for electric car charging infrastructure? With an average of 17.5 electric cars per charging station, the state only ranks 11th in Germany. The city of Salzgitter and the Heidekreis are the best representatives in Lower Saxony and deserve the title of “loading area champions”.

The rest of the ranking

After Emden and Heilbronn, the other places are occupied by the Wittmund district, which is now in 91st place nationwide with a T-value of 12.6. Here, too, there was a decline compared to the previous year, despite an increase in electric vehicles. The Cloppenburg district and the city of Delmenhorst make their place at the bottom of the rankings clear with values ​​of 15.7 and 16.8. While Delmenhorst shows a clear improvement with 107 charging points, the Friesland district only has a T-value of 17.5. In contrast, the Aurich district can continue to shine, with a T-value of 19.2, followed by Vechta (19.4) and Leer (20.8).

The development in Oldenburg is particularly noteworthy, where it ranks 358th nationwide with a T-value of 26.3 and an electric car population of 7,798 vehicles with 297 charging points. You could say that they have a good handle on the charging infrastructure here, even if the space can be expanded compared to the stronger regions.

A look at the numbers

To better understand the charging infrastructure in Germany, let's take a look at the nationwide figures: According to the VDA, there have been around 172,150 public charging points since July 1, 2025, which corresponds to 2,877,051 electric cars. This means that on average 17 electric cars use one charging point. Compared to the previous year, the ratio has even improved slightly, with the number of charging points increasing by 29,000 in the last twelve months.

The number of fast charging points is particularly pleasing with an increase of 10,729 points and represents an increase of 36%. Nevertheless, VDA boss Hildegard Müller complains that the pace of expansion of the charging infrastructure has slowed and that 32% of communities still do not have a public charging point.

This is an important topic, especially in view of the goals set by the federal government to achieve a comprehensive network with one million charging points by 2030. The need for fast charging stations is becoming increasingly important for the acceptance of electric cars.

Regional peculiarities

As the current data also shows, there are major regional differences in the expansion of the charging infrastructure in Germany. What is particularly striking is that there are enough charging points, but the performance is often not sufficient to offer a convincing user experience. The average charging power per charging point is 37.7 kilowatts, which should be continuously monitored to meet the needs of electric car drivers.

Ultimately, the question remains as to how quickly Germany can catch up with the international comparative studies. We can be curious to see how the situation develops in the next few months. The changing values ​​and statistics must lead to creative solutions and strategies in order to let electromobility shine in its full bloom.

For detailed information and deeper insights into the topic, you can read the reports from the VDA and Statista: NWZonline, VDA and Statista.