elvah Report II.2025: 35.8 Million charging sessions in six months

elvah Report II.2025: 35.8 Million charging sessions in six months - a new level of market maturity

New record highs: +24% charging sessions, 909 GWh of energy delivered (+32%), and up to 1.67 million weekly sessions (+70%) over the course of the year
HPC driving growth: 48% of all sessions; strongest expansion in charging points (+18.8%), alongside rising utilization
Market in motion: EnBW leads the HPC segment, Ionity remains the efficiency benchmark, while competition and profitability move into focus

Essen, February 24, 2026 – The elvah Charging Market Report II.2025 shows that Germany’s public charging market reached a new phase of maturity in the second half of 2025. elvah, a data provider for the e-mobility sector, finds that around 35.8 million charging sessions and an estimated 909 GWh of delivered energy mark a significant increase compared to the first half of the year. Charging sessions rose by approximately 24%, while total energy demand surged by 32%.

Record charging volumes—supported by a renewed increase in electric vehicle registrations—confirm firmly established demand. This momentum becomes particularly visible over the course of the year: weekly charging sessions grew from around 983,000 at the end of June to as many as 1.67 million by year-end.

Infrastructure expansion continues - while utilization catches up

The expansion of charging infrastructure continued throughout the second half of 2025. With an 18.8% increase in active charging points, the HPC segment recorded the strongest relative growth.

For the first time, this expansion is accompanied by a measurable increase in utilization. Particularly in the fast-charging segment, usage is beginning to catch up with infrastructure growth: average HPC utilization rose from 7.1% to 9.5% over the course of the year.

However, overall utilization remains moderate in an international comparison and still lags behind markets such as Belgium and the Netherlands. As a result, site quality and commercial optimization are becoming increasingly important strategic levers.

Charging activity continues to concentrate on HPC and AC infrastructure, which together account for more than 92% of all sessions: 48% HPC, 44% AC, and 8% DC, which continues to play a smaller role.

Regional developments across Germany

North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria, and Baden-Württemberg continue to record the highest absolute charging volumes, as well as the largest increases in infrastructure expansion. Hamburg leads in charging sessions per capita at 0.67, well above the national average of 0.39.

At the same time, smaller federal states are catching up in terms of infrastructure growth: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania records the strongest relative increase in AC charging points (+27.4%), while Saarland leads HPC expansion with +28.2%.

Despite nationwide expansion across all charging types, charging sessions per capita in many eastern German states still lag behind western regions.

Competition continues to intensify

Among charge point operators (CPOs), EnBW remains the clear market leader in the >130 kW fast-charging segment in 14 out of 16 federal states. Aral Pulse and Ionity maintain their positions among the top HPC players, followed by EWE Go in fourth place.

Shell Recharge and Pfalzwerke gained market share, while ALDI Süd, Fastned, and E.ON Drive Infrastructure saw declines.

The AC market remains fragmented and regionally driven. Alongside the aggregator vaylens, local utilities such as Berliner Stadtwerke and Stadtwerke Düsseldorf continue to play a key role. Compared to the first half of the year, the composition of the top 10 operators has shifted: Stadtwerke München and LichtBlick have dropped out, while ChargePoint Germany and eze.network have entered the top tier.

Efficiency and optimization are becoming a key focus

As the market matures, network efficiency is becoming a stronger focus - specifically, which operators achieve high utilization and make the most effective use of their infrastructure. Ionity continues to lead the HPC efficiency ranking, while municipal utilities perform particularly well in the AC segment.

The report is once again complemented by insights from external experts, including Jennifer Carrasco, Director Power & Utilities at Boston Consulting Group. She expects continued growth in the coming years, albeit at a slower pace. Many CPOs are likely to recalibrate their strategies—shifting from aggressive expansion toward higher utilization, cost discipline, and sustainable profitability.

Ceren Ahiska, Chief Product Officer at elvah, adds:

“Expansion alone is no longer enough. Utilization, site quality, and operator efficiency will be the decisive factors. We’re seeing more and more price campaigns and promotions across the industry. In a maturing market, pricing becomes a key lever for efficiency: those who want to increase utilization and profitability need to actively manage pricing and campaigns in line with regional demand. In the next phase of the market, the winners will be those who not only build infrastructure, but truly understand, manage, and activate it through data.”

The full elvah Charging Market Report II.2025 is now available for download via this link.

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