ADAC: High potential for improvement in charging along highways

Charging should be just as easy and convenient everywhere as refueling, says the largest car club in Germany. Now the ADAC has investigated how far charging options at rest stops along the highways have come in achieving this goal. To do this, they examined the charging conditions at the 15 longest highways in terms of their infrastructure and comfort. According to their own figures, "two-thirds of electric car drivers and 85 percent of long-distance e-drivers occasionally or usually charge their vehicle" there. However, they are not well served everywhere: "Of 25 rest stops and truck stops each, over half are rated as poor to very poor." Only 13 met the school grade of "good," and none achieved a "very good."

The most important for the ADAC evaluation was the number of charging points and their possible charging power. For a good rating, these had to provide this power individually for several charging points. If it was split among several vehicles, points were also deducted. Furthermore, the inspectors counted how many of them were out of order. Other inspection points on the list included payment options and clarity about costs during billing. A quarter of the points for the evaluation were awarded for the comfort of the facilities, such as roofing, catering, or sanitary facilities. Given the ongoing expansion of charging options, the rating cited below can only be a snapshot. The ranking could look very different in a few months.

Two facilities received a 'good'

Long-distance drivers traveling on the highway expect high charging powers of at least 150 kW to achieve a charging time of 20 to 30 minutes. 31 facilities (62 percent) already had fast charging stations with 300 kW, which could still provide up to 150 kW each even with two vehicles connected. Two facilities – Rosi's Autohof Fulda Nord on the A7 and the Inntaler Autohof Raubling on the A93 – even had 400 kW charging stations installed and achieved an overall rating of "good."

The lowest scores were received by the Aral Autohof Bremen Hemelingen on the A1 and Total Autohof Großweitzschen on the A14, as they had no charging facilities at all. More than one in five facilities (22 percent, primarily rest stops) were equipped only with 50 kW stations.

Truck stops generally ahead of rest stops

Truck stops performed significantly better than rest stops: All 13 "good" ratings went to truck stops. The Euro Rastpark Schweitenkirchen on the A9 received the highest overall rating, followed by the Aral Autohof Königslutter on the A2.

Only a quarter of the facilities offered ten or more charging points with a charging power of at least 150 kW, and in just under a third of these facilities, at least one charging point was out of order. Regardless of whether it was a truck stop or a rest stop: no charging park in the test was covered, and in most cases, the path to the main buildings was too long. Only a few truck stops allow parallel parking for vehicles with trailers without uncoupling.

Direct payment by credit card was only possible at about half of the charging stations, which is too little, not only for the ADAC, it seems. The price transparency also showed room for improvement. For example, the final price was only displayed at 16 facilities, corresponding to 44 percent, although the price per kilowatt-hour is displayed before charging at almost all facilities with charging points of 150 kW and above. Those accustomed to the price transparency of gas pumps will rub their eyes.

The club recognizes that there is still a large gap compared to refueling, which has been established over decades, not only in the latter point. The ADAC's conclusion is, in essence and not surprisingly, that the identified potentials for improving the infrastructure should be utilized to make driving an electric car faster, more comfortable, and thus even more attractive.

(fpi)