A charging device for inductively charging an electrical energy store of a motor vehicle that is provided with a primary coil which is designed to induce a voltage in a secondary coil of the motor vehicle in order to charge the electrical energy store, and with a lifting mechanism, which is designed to move the primary coil between a stored position and a charging position. The charging device is provided with at least one heating conductor, in particular a heating wire, which is arranged on the lifting mechanism and which can be controlled by a control device of the charging device. The invention further relates to a method for operating a charging device.