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Hauke Hinrichs Masterplan 2.0
Release Date: 29.06.2026

From the Charging Station to the Energy System: SMATRICS Presents the Charging Infrastructure Master Plan 2.0

Four years after the first SMATRICS Master Plan, Austria’s largest charging infrastructure operator takes stock and presents five recommendations for the next phase of e-mobility. The key to progress: the intersection of energy and mobility.

SMATRICS expects around one million all-electric passenger cars to be on Austria’s roads by 2030. Over the past four years, Austria has largely done its part to ramp up electric mobility, creating the urgently needed political framework and extensively expanding the public charging infrastructure. Now the focus is on intelligently linking mobility and energy. The goal: a smart grid. “A successful mobility and energy transition requires an intelligent, integrated system. The progress made must not distract us from the challenges that still lie ahead. Instead of thinking in terms of isolated measures, mobility and energy must finally act as team players,” emphasizes Hauke Hinrichs, CEO of SMATRICS. Electric vehicles will be part of the solution: as mobile storage units, flexibility providers, and active participants in the power grid.

New Players, New Rules

The first SMATRICS Master Plan 2022 focused on increasing new registrations of electric vehicles and expanding the charging infrastructure. Today, the results show that many of the necessary political framework conditions have been met, and the majority of the 13 measures called for by SMATRICS have been implemented. This makes Austria one of Europe’s pioneers in the mobility transition. However, as e-mobility reaches market maturity, the requirements are changing. New market participants and innovative applications call for adapted rules of the game. Hinrichs notes: “The mere availability of public charging infrastructure is no longer the biggest challenge. In the future, the focus will be on easy access, seamless integration into everyday life, and economically viable use.” 

The new SMATRICS Master Plan 2.0 therefore not only evaluates the existing requirements but also outlines five new priorities for the next phase of development in the electric vehicle charging infrastructure:

  • 24/7 Access to Public Charging Infrastructure: Outdated commercial regulations must no longer restrict charging infrastructure to business hours.
  • Designing charging infrastructure to be practical and accessible: This requires regular updates to road traffic guidelines and regulations, as well as a “design for all” approach to ensure that solutions are designed from the outset to function intuitively, safely, and conveniently.
  • Targeted incentives tailored to the market phase: To drive the current ramp-up, targeted support is needed in addition to a stable political framework—for example, through toll exemptions for electric trucks, special depreciation allowances for investments in sustainable energy and charging infrastructure, or tailored support models for SMEs.
  • Vehicle-to-X (V2X) and bidirectional charging: These are becoming a key indicator of the energy system’s future viability. In addition to defining technical aspects, economic, legal, and societal frameworks are needed.
  • Framework conditions for electric truck charging infrastructure: Electric trucks will massively accelerate the ramp-up in the coming years. The specific characteristics of heavy-duty transport must therefore also be taken into account in the specifications for charging infrastructure. 

“The best charging infrastructure is the kind you don’t have to think about and that has no curfew. For electric vehicle drivers, reliability and transparency are no longer extras—they’re a given,” said Hinrichs. SMATRICS therefore continues to prioritize speed and quality in the expansion of its charging infrastructure. Fast- and ultra-fast-charging stations offer an ideal complement to charging at home and at work—with a variety of payment options, transparent pricing information, and increasing convenience thanks to additional amenities at the charging station.

The charging infrastructure is ready—but the power grids aren't yet

While Austria is well-positioned when it comes to expanding its charging infrastructure, SMATRICS believes there is still room for improvement in terms of integration into the energy system. At the grid interface, the charging infrastructure should no longer be told to “please wait.” Weaknesses persist, particularly in grid connections, approval processes, and digitalization. Excessively long wait times, a lack of standardization, and inconsistent procedures are slowing down the expansion. 

The SMATRICS Master Plan 2.0 makes it clear: The next phase of the mobility transition will not be determined solely by the number of charging points, but by how successfully electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, and the energy system can be integrated into a high-performance ecosystem that equally supports security of supply, economic efficiency, and climate protection. “The first phase of e-mobility was an Austrian success story. Nevertheless, the transformation of mobility is not a sure thing. To fully harness the potential in this second phase, we must transition the two pillars—mobility and energy—from coexistence to collaboration,” concludes Hinrichs. 

Download the Masterplan 2.0 here.