Electric vehicle charging stations outnumber petrol stations in Denmark

25 July 2017

There are now more electric car charging stations in Denmark than there are traditional petrol stations, according to a new report from the Danish energy supplier, Dansk Energi. The report reveals that there are 2,030 publicly-accessible electric car charging stations in Denmark – two more than the 2,028 petrol stations in the country. 

However, despite the highly developed charging network, the Danish Government’s decision to reintroduce registration taxes for electric cars last year continues to impact sales, as previously reported in June. So far in 2017, only 182 electric cars have been sold in Denmark and just 17 of those sales have been to private consumers – a steep decline from the 4605 sold in 2015. 

As part of its national budget proposal for 2016, the Government decided in October 2015 to gradually bring back the registration tax for electric cars over the following four years, with buyers facing payment of the full registration tax by 2020. 

However, the Government planned new registrations of 1800 electric and fuel cell vehicles in 2016 but, in the end, only 1300 were registered. Consequently, authorities reacted by freezing the registration tax at 20% of the level imposed on cars with internal combustion engines either until 1 January 2019 or until 5,000 additional electric cars are registered if sooner, which now seems highly unlikely. This contrasts with the original plan which envisaged the tax level being back at 40% already this year. 

The phased increase in the tax on electric cars is still to be introduced, but will now only rise to 40% from 2019, less a flat sum of 10,000 Danish kroner (€1,345). For 2020, the tax rate will be 65% and for 2021 it will be 90% with the reinstatement full registration tax to follow in 2022.