The Federal Environment Agency has published the final report “Noise emissions during the charging of electric vehicles” as UBA Document 32/2026. The underlying research project was carried out by our colleagues Thorsten Otto and Thomas Maly.

The study was prompted by the German government’s target of registering around 15 million electric vehicles in Germany by 2030. A prerequisite for this is the ongoing expansion of an efficient charging infrastructure to further encourage the switch from internal combustion engines to electric motors. However, until now, there has been only limited evidence regarding the environmental impacts – particularly in terms of noise emissions – associated with the operation of charging facilities. 

The study therefore investigated the noise emissions generated during the charging of electric vehicles, the influence of the specific vehicle and the charging infrastructure used, and whether this information can be used to derive requirements for the operation of charging points.

The publication presents a summary, based on metrological measurements, of the noise emissions from individual charging processes of electric passenger cars (excluding heavy goods vehicles) and demonstrates how the findings can be applied in forecasting models. The study examined charging processes for vehicles of various classes – from small cars and mid-range vehicles to SUVs – using different charging systems. It looked at both DC fast charging at charging points with power outputs of between 150 and 300 kW and AC charging at 11 kW wall boxes.