EnBW mobility+: fast charging must be reinvented

In an exclusive interview with electrive, Martin Roemheld, head of EnBW mobility+ — one of Europe's largest public charging network operators — laid out his vision for the next evolution of fast-charging infrastructure. His core message: the industry is moving beyond simple network expansion into a new era defined by power density and service quality rather than sheer point count.

Roemheld makes a striking argument: the kilowatt-hour sold at a charger is not a product in itself. The real competitive battleground is the integrated experience — reliability, seamless payment, location intelligence, and added services that give drivers a reason to prefer one network over another. This perspective is increasingly relevant across Europe, where multiple operators compete for the same high-traffic sites.

One of the biggest structural challenges Roemheld identifies is grid connection — the slow and complex process of linking new high-power charging hubs to the electricity distribution network. This bottleneck is limiting the speed of rollout not just in Germany, but across EU member states, and he calls for systemic reforms in how grid operators handle connection requests for charging infrastructure.

Roemheld also addressed the German automotive industry directly: building great electric cars is not enough. Automakers need to actively participate in shaping the charging ecosystem — because the future of EV adoption depends as much on the infrastructure experience as on the vehicle itself. For the broader EV market, his message is clear: whoever creates genuine value at the charger — not just meters kilowatt-hours — will win the next decade.