ADAC criticizes charging infrastructure at service stations
The ADAC believes that there is still plenty of room for improvement when it comes to being able to charge your electric car quickly on German highways.
Much has improved in the charging infrastructure for electric cars in recent years. But there is still plenty to do.
(Image: ADAC)
The charging infrastructure for electric cars is growing rapidly in Germany. The Federal Network Agency reported a total of almost 91,000 public charging points on January 1, 2023, compared to more than 145,000 in September of this year. Nevertheless, there is still a lot to do. This also applies to the supply of charging points along freeways. This is the conclusion reached by the ADAC, which visited 40 service stations in the summer.
An operator must be connected to the medium-voltage grid in order to provide a large number of DC charging points. This is significantly more extensive than the low-voltage grid used for AC charging points. This increases the costs for a DC charging park, which can be considerable depending on the location. Measured against this often neglected background, what the ADAC found in a Germany-wide random sample is not bad, at least at first glance.
More than half with at least 150 kW
Out of 40 service areas, only three had no charging infrastructure at all, all others had DC charging points. At 21 of the 37 highway parking lots, the charging capacity was at least 150 kW, at only four of them was it over 300 kW. However, hardly any electric car can currently fully utilize the latter. However, a maximum of 50 kW was offered at 16 service stations. This outdated infrastructure is pretty lame by today's standards and is only used by experienced e-car users in an emergency. The operators are also noticing this because capacity utilization is falling. This is another reason why the infrastructure is being modernized step by step.
(Image: ADAC)
The ADAC is calling for at least ten charging points with at least 150 kW per parking space. The latter would be practical from today's perspective, as many e-cars only charge significantly faster than 150 kW in a narrow window under optimal conditions. On the other hand, 20 minutes at such a charging station with an assumed consumption of 20 kWh/100 km means a recharged range of 250 km – if the car actually recharges 50 kWh during this time. Some test cars are often below this value, especially in winter.
Annoyances
The club also criticizes other points. If you are traveling with a trailer, you have to remove it almost everywhere before charging. Presumably only a few e-car drivers make use of the ad hoc charging option. But those who do could fall victim to criminals. There have been cases of forged QR codes with so-called "quishing", which criminals use to obtain credit card details. Only a few charging stations in the test were covered.
There is often a lack of adequate signage, says the ADAC. Perhaps this would also solve another problem: At no less than four service stations in the test, the charging points were blocked by parking offenders. My experience at this point: it is mostly carelessness and only rarely malicious behavior. Unfortunately, there are exceptions to this, as it is obvious that not every participant is still familiar with the first paragraph of the Highway Code: the principle of mutual consideration.
Read more about the charging infrastructure for electric cars
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Charging infrastructure for electric cars: almost 150,000 public charging points
Electromobility: falling prices for ad hoc charging in sight
Electric cars: number of AC charging points rises to more than 100,000
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(mfz)