The infrastructure behind electric mobility

The infrastructure behind electric mobility is entering a decisive phase. At the ChargeTec Conference on 28–29 April 2026 in Munich, grid operators, automotive manufacturers and start-ups will explore new technological and economic approaches – ranging from immersion-cooled batteries to bidirectional charging and business models that could work without subsidies.

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Sabine Synkule

The discussions highlight a key challenge: charging infrastructure is no longer just about faster charging speeds, but about how energy systems, vehicles and digital platforms interact.

What infrastructure does high-power charging really require?

High-power charging (HPC) is often framed purely in terms of kilowatts. However, grid integration is becoming the decisive factor.

“The performance indicator of charging infrastructure, from a grid operator’s perspective, is grid integration. Customers want availability, while operators need high utilisation,” says Roman Höller, Domain Lead for Grid Innovation at E.ON Group Innovation.

The electricity grid remains the bottleneck. Many charging projects face delays of several months while waiting for connection approvals. At the same time, fluctuating expansion targets create uncertainty for operators and investors. At the conference, participants will therefore discuss how grid storage systems and intelligent load management could help relieve pressure on electricity networks.

Oliver Adrian, Chief Commercial Officer at chargecloud and a member of the ChargeTec advisory board, emphasises the complexity of the market environment: “The requirements for charge point operators are becoming increasingly complex due to changing regulations and processes. At the same time, customers expect simple usability, high availability and transparent pricing.”

What to expect at the ChargeTec Conference 2026

On 28 and 29 April 2026, the ChargeTec Conference returns to Munich. Across a broad range of technical, regulatory and operational topics, the event examines how charging technology and infrastructure must evolve to support the next phase of electric mobility.

Benjamin Müller

Only if grid infrastructure, software platforms and user experience interact effectively can fast-charging networks scale sustainably.

Why are ever larger batteries not necessarily the solution?

Many carmakers are increasing battery sizes to address range anxiety. However, this strategy is increasingly being questioned.

Joachim Damasky, CEO of Lion Smart, argues that larger batteries are often inefficient: “Most daily journeys are below 100 kilometres. Large batteries consume materials and add weight without actually being used.”

Lion Smart is therefore developing immersion-cooled battery systems. In this approach, a dielectric liquid cools battery cells far more efficiently than conventional systems. According to the company, a 60 kWh battery pack could support charging rates of 10–15 C, allowing vehicles to recharge within minutes.

Shorter charging times would increase throughput at HPC charging sites and relieve grid pressure, as smaller batteries could be recharged more quickly. Damasky summarises the concept succinctly: “The future lies in system efficiency – powerful but lighter batteries are a catalyst for grid integration, not a replacement for it.” 

Who will finance the expansion of charging infrastructure?

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Benjamin Müller

The rollout of charging networks still depends heavily on public subsidies. Roman Höller sees this as a structural challenge: “The market is currently driven largely by subsidies. In many cases it is essentially a bet on the future.”

Oliver Adrian agrees but emphasises that stable regulatory frameworks are the key factor for long-term scalability. “Expansion can scale if political frameworks become predictable and subsidy schemes do not change every two years.”

Potential revenue streams could emerge through dynamic tariffs, energy pooling and service packages. At the same time, consolidation in the market remains uneven. While large charging operators are merging, municipal utilities and regional providers remain important players.

Is bidirectional charging the missing piece of the puzzle?

Bidirectional charging – feeding electricity from vehicles back into the grid – is widely seen as a way to stabilise electricity networks. In Germany, however, the technology is still in its early stages. Roman Höller believes the concept has significant long-term potential, but points to a lack of suitable vehicles and infrastructure. 

Oliver Adrian argues that clearer regulatory frameworks are essential: “Legal certainty needs to be as simple as in the UK – otherwise the technology will remain limited to pilot projects.” At ChargeTec, experts will discuss whether grid-balancing incentives and market mechanisms could help accelerate adoption.

Will the charging market consolidate – or remain fragmented?

The EV charging market remains highly fragmented, with hundreds of operators, software platforms and charging cards. Roman Höller criticises this fragmentation and calls for stronger technical integration of charging infrastructure.

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28-29 April 2026, Munich - SZ Tower

Oliver Adrian observes that consolidation is currently taking place primarily among larger charge point operators, while municipal utilities remain largely unaffected. Ultimately, however, it will be users who determine which solutions succeed.

According to Adrian, drivers expect:

• high uptime
• accurate billing
• seamless features such as Plug & Charge

For grid operators, the key question remains how many different interfaces can be managed before standardisation becomes unavoidable.

What could this mean for the future of EV charging infrastructure?

The debates at ChargeTec illustrate that the transition to electric mobility is increasingly becoming an infrastructure and systems challenge rather than a purely automotive one. 

As vehicle numbers grow and charging demand rises, the interaction between grid capacity, digital platforms, energy storage and vehicle technology will determine whether charging networks can scale.

Technologies such as immersion-cooled batteries, bidirectional charging and AI-driven energy management could fundamentally reshape how electricity flows between vehicles, charging stations and the grid.

At the same time, new market structures are emerging. Charging infrastructure operators, utilities, software providers and automotive manufacturers are becoming part of a shared ecosystem, where success depends less on individual hardware solutions and more on system integration.

For Europe’s energy and mobility sectors, the question is therefore no longer whether electric mobility will scale – but how the underlying infrastructure will evolve to support it efficiently and economically.

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automotiveIT editorial team