Vienna plans up to 1,000 new charging points

The city administration plans to extend its cooperation with the energy provider Wien Energie. Approval by the responsible Mobility Committee is scheduled for next week, after which the proposal will move to Wien Energie’s governing bodies for further deliberation.

Details on the scope of the expansion remain open. Rather than committing to a fixed rollout plan, the partners intend to scale the collaboration in line with actual demand. According to the city, further developments will be implemented step by step and adjusted annually to reflect the needs of electric vehicle drivers.

The framework guiding the planning process is as follows:

• Priority will be given to districts where the basic provision of publicly accessible charging points within walking distance is still insufficient.
• High-traffic locations will be selectively densified with additional charging points in surrounding streets to meet rising demand.
• The expansion programme includes dedicated charging infrastructure for the carsharing fleet operated by Wiener Linien under the ‘WienMobil’ brand.
• Wherever possible, synergies with ongoing road construction projects will be leveraged to implement the rollout efficiently and with optimal use of resources.

When identifying sites for new charging stations, the city says it applies a catalogue of criteria. These include the attractiveness of the location, expected frequency and utilisation rates, grid connection options and overall economic viability.

The overarching goal is to further expand the charging network in a way that makes operating electric vehicles across Vienna as convenient and straightforward as possible. A particular emphasis is also being placed on the rollout of barrier-free charging infrastructure.

As of January 2026, Vienna counts around 4,030 publicly accessible charging points, roughly two-thirds of which are operated by Wien Energie. With a further 1,000 charging points planned by the municipal utility, the total number would rise to more than 5,000. In practice, the figure is likely to be even higher, as additional operators are also expanding their networks in the Austrian capital.

The city underlines the significance of the expansion with another metric: currently, a Wien Energie charging station can be found every 400 metres on average across Vienna. Following the next rollout phase, this average distance is expected to shrink to up to 250 metres, further tightening the coverage of the urban charging network.

No timeline for the construction of the additional 1,000 charging points is provided in the announcement, only a reference to ‘the coming years.’ However, if Wien Energie maintains its current pace of expansion, this milestone could be reached as early as 2027: In the past year alone, 900 charging points were added.

“In 2025, there were more new registrations of electric cars than ever before. With the 1,000 new public charging stations, we are creating a future-proof charging infrastructure together with the City of Vienna,” said Alma Kahler, Managing Director of Wien Energie. “We always keep an eye on the needs of electric vehicle drivers in Vienna and are expanding charging stations precisely where they are needed.”

“Already, three-quarters of Vienna’s residents travel in an environmentally friendly way. The installation of e-charging stations in Vienna, in addition to the massive expansion of public transport and cycling infrastructure, is another important building block for sustainable mobility in our city,” added Ulli Sima, City Councillor for Urban Development, Mobility, and Wiener Stadtwerke. “The system is open to all who use an electric vehicle. Personally, I am also pleased that we are continuing our successful collaboration with Wien Energie. When the contract started in 2017, I was leading the initiative as Environment City Councillor with the first 1,000 e-charging stations; now, we are providing another powerful energy boost for Vienna with 1,000 additional new charging stations from Wien Energie.”

wien.gv.at (in German)