The Bundeskartellamt's sector inquiry into the provision of public EV charging infrastructure in Germany highlights a lack of competition due to dominant market positions held by a few providers, limiting consumer choice and potentially leading to higher prices.

Contracts for charging infrastructure installation in public areas, especially at municipal and rest areas along motorways, are often not awarded in a non-discriminatory manner, creating barriers to entry for new competitors and promoting the concentration of market power.

Operators with local market power may set abusively high prices for EV charging electricity, potentially squeezing out competitors and hindering market entry. The report discusses the need for regulatory intervention to address these pricing issues and promote competition.

The Bundeskartellamt considers competition law tools and regulatory framework developments as essential to ensure non-discriminatory award procedures for public areas and promote competitive structures in the EV charging infrastructure sector.