The LINOx BW project, led by the Städtetag Baden‑Württemberg e.V. and funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy, ran from 1 July 2018 to 31 December 2023. Its goal was to reduce local nitrogen‑oxide (NOx) emissions by installing low‑cost charging infrastructure (LIS) in 24 of 26 high‑pollution municipalities across Baden‑Württemberg. A total of 2 622 charging points were installed in about 201 individual measures, involving roughly 189 local partners. The project’s technical outcomes are quantified in a series of performance indicators: before LINOx BW there were 264 charging points; after the programme the number rose to 2 503, an increase of 2 239 points. Electric vehicle (EV) uptake grew with 887 battery‑electric vehicles (BEVs) and 320 plug‑in hybrids (PHEVs) acquired since the start of the programme. The surveyed fleet comprised 3 979 passenger cars and 1 781 commercial vehicles. Installed AC charging capacity reached 31 192 kW, while DC fast‑charging capacity was 3 181 kW. Energy delivered, measured by meter readings, totaled 5 213 483.99 kWh, which translates to 28 334 152.14 km of electric vehicle travel at an average consumption of 18.4 kWh per 100 km. The average power per funded charging point was 15.35 kW. Scenario analysis, combining Delphi expert panels with extreme and trend scenarios, estimated NOx reductions of 10.53 tonnes for 133 valid cases and 315.15 tonnes for 74 valid cases, based on the projected electric vehicle kilometres. A systematic review of all German Green City Masterplans was also conducted to assess potential NOx savings from expanded charging infrastructure.
Methodologically, the project conducted telephone‑guided interviews with 21 lead partners, which were qualitatively coded in MAXQDA to build a best‑practice database. The database was published in brochure form (Version 1.0, 2020; Version 2.0, 2022). Following a methodological shift, the final survey was redesigned to reflect interview findings. The project also organized an exchange meeting at the ZSW in Stuttgart on 16‑17 September 2019, which fed into the accompanying research on electric mobility. Regular project news was posted on the LINOx‑BW homepage, and two interim balance conferences and a final conference were held to disseminate results. The final report and an action guide were produced, and the findings were presented at international venues such as the International Electric Vehicle Symposium (EVS 35) in Oslo and in peer‑reviewed journals, including a 2023 article in the World Electric Vehicle Journal.
Collaboration was structured around a consortium of 24 municipalities, 21 lead partners, and several research institutions such as e‑mobil BW and ISME GmbH. The consortium leader, Dr. Susanne Nusser, coordinated monthly teleconferences from 2019, video conferences from 2020, and in‑person meetings in 2023. The project timeline was extended to 30 September 2022, and a funding increase of €3.125 million was secured in October 2021 to support additional LIS deployment and administrative costs. The final report, dated 28 March 2024, consolidates the technical achievements, the collaborative framework, and the policy implications for scaling low‑cost charging infrastructure to achieve measurable NOx reductions in urban settings.