According to the federal government, one million electric cars should be rolling on Germany’s roads as early as 2020. “Basically, we can be happy that the development is now slower than expected,” says master electrician Bernd Zeilmann as a representative of the Chamber of Crafts Bayreuth (Germany). “The charging process as a bottleneck”, said Zeilmann in a public lecture at the invitation of the nature conservation associations and the car-sharing association. On the one hand, the public charging stations are still being built up and the billing arrangements are not yet certified; on the other hand, the batteries are not easily recharged overnight at home. These include preparatory measures for upgrading the electrical installation and a safety concept. “When more than ten amps are drawn from a simple power outlet over several hours, the cable gets hot and in the worst case can ignite a fire,” said the master electrician.
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