Quick Charging Stations Undergo Trials by Transport Club in Germany
The Auto Club Europa (ACE) conducted a thorough evaluation of rapid charging stations in Germany and found that the majority of facilities meet the basic requirements, with over a third earning an 'excellent' rating. However, there are still areas that require enhancement.
In this comprehensive assessment of 189 fast-charging stations with a combined total of 1737 charging points, only 3 facilities failed to meet the set criteria. An impressive 37% of the facilities were given an 'excellent' rating, while 61% managed to pass the evaluation.
Many rapid charging stations tied for first place, scoring 18.5 out of a possible 19 points. Some of these top-performing stations include EnBW's charging park in Lichtenau near Chemnitz, Audi's charging hubs in Munich and Nuremberg, and Sortimo's charging facility at the Innovation Park in Zusmarshausen. Nationally, the average score was 13.17 points.
Unfortunately, the lowest-rated station, EnBW's rapid charging station in Salzer Street, Schönebeck, barely missed the passing mark of 9 points, scoring 8 points. Similarly, Q1 Autostrom in Triptis and Allego in Weil am Rhein scored 8.5 and 8.75 points respectively, just shy of the passing threshold.
EnBW leads the pack
Energy provider EnBW was the most prevalent in the tests with 46 rapid charging stations. Ionity and Aral Pulse followed closely behind with 26 and 25 stations respectively. Notably, Ionity had the highest proportion of 'excellent' rated charging stations at 69%.
The facilities were evaluated based on 24 different criteria. ACE rated 92% of the charging parks as easy to locate. Excellent charging performance was attributed to 86% of the rapid charging stations. There are 1143 charging points offering over 300 kW charging power, 292 between 150 and 299 kW, and 202 between 50 and 149 kW.
68% were rated as traffic-safe, 63% as service- and family-friendly, and 48% as accessible for people with disabilities. ACE emphasized the need for improvement in accessibility for people with disabilities.
Electric mobility continues to thrive in Germany, as highlighted by the high number of rapid charging stations evaluated by ACE. Among these, EnBW's charging stations, such as the one in Lichtenau near Chemnitz, excel in electric mobility, often earning 'excellent' ratings.
Despite the overall positive results, there's a call for enhancement in making charging facilities more accessible for individuals with disabilities, representing an area for further improvements in electric mobility.
