The importance of current-carrying contacts and joints is increasing in electromobility, as the number of electrically powered means of transport, especially electric vehicles, is rising steadily and the charging power as well as the electrical power transferred between the battery and the drive is ever-expanding. Safe and reliable operation of the different types of joints used is therefore a key requirement that is increasingly coming into focus. Current-carrying joints have been used in electrical power systems for over 100 years. Thus, a corresponding operating experience is available and there are many physically based findings on contact and long-term behaviour. In this publication, the load, the resulting stress and the differences between the application in electrical power supply and electromobility are compared. The aim is to work out which findings are transferable and which questions still need to be answered from the research point of view.