- Deutschlandnetz (‘German network’) tender: Autostrom plus obtains three out of a total of six highway lots and becomes largest operator of charging infrastructure on German highways.
- Most of the charging hubs are being built in eastern and southern Germany/ Autostrom member companies cover every element of the planning, construction and operation of fast-charging hubs.
- Shareholders of Autostrom plus GmbH are the consulting firm Drees & Sommer SE; the energy supplier enercity AG; the charging park and filling station operator Q1 Energie AG; the Pohl Group, a company that specializes in energy, infrastructure and road construction; and the public utility company SWN Stadtwerke Neumünster GmbH.
- Part of Autostrom plus are also the energy services provider RheinEnergie AG, with its subsidiary TankE GmbH, and the charging infrastructure service provider Westfalen Weser Ladeservice GmbH
Hanover, Germany, March 28, 2024. As part of the invitation to tender for Deutschlandnetz (‘German network’), the German government company Autobahn GmbH awarded contracts for 1,000 fast-charging points at 200 unmanaged rest areas. Besides the companies E.ON, Fastned and TotalEnergies, a bidding consortium also came out on top in the tendering procedure. The Autostrom consortium was awarded the contract for three of the six highway lots, with 99 charging hubs including 482 rapid charging points. The companies have now merged to form Autostrom plus GmbH. Drees & Sommer project head Burkhard Seizer will act as Managing Director of the new company; Sebastian Herkenhoff from Q1 and Andreas Müller from enercity have been appointed to the role of holders of general commercial power of attorney (Prokurist under German commercial law).
Electromobility on the Fast Lane
Autostrom plus GmbH has been awarded the contracts for highway lots 3, 4 and 5. Most of the charging hubs will be realized in eastern and southern Germany. The first place takes Bavaria with 29 hubs and 148 charging points. With a total of 2,557 kilometers, the federal state of Bavaria has the most extensive network of highways in Germany, closely followed by North Rhine-Westphalia with 2,260 kilometers, where Autostrom plus GmbH plans to install 14 charging hubs with 60 charging points. A total of twelve charging parks with 56 charge points will be realized in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt. "The new sites are an urgently needed addition to the existing infrastructure," says Dr.-Ing. Burkhard Seizer, Managing Director at Autostrom plus GmbH.
In future, drivers will be able to charge their vehicles at 30-kilometer intervals, from Flensburg in the north to Friedrichshafen in the south and from Cologne in the west to Cottbus in the eastern part of Germany. And at very high speed: "We are planning the hubs with charging stations that have charging capacity of up to 400 kW. Under ideal conditions, electric vehicles that can charge at these high capacities only need three minutes to charge for a range of 100 kilometers. In practice, this generally means a short charging break every three to four hours on longer journeys. This is the interval for taking breaks that is also recommended when driving with a combustion engine," explains the Managing Director.
Planning Phase Has Started
The rollout of charging hubs across Germany is an important investment. It will enable a sustainable infrastructure for mobility and set technology benchmarks. Sebastian Herkenhoff, who holds general commercial power of attorney at Autostrom plus and heads the Sustainable Mobility division at Q1, underlines the aspect of user-friendliness: „We will set up an accessible payment system at the charging hubs so that drivers don't waste time. This system will accept all common charge cards as well as debit and credit cards. We also use 100 percent green electricity.“ However, in-depth planning is required before the charging parks will start operating. Fast-charging hubs are challenging in terms of technology. What is needed are a good infrastructure, smart steering systems and solid connection technologies. “We are now putting all our efforts into providing our customers with ultra-fast, convenient and reliable charging throughout Germany,“ Andreas Müller, also holder of general commercial power of attorney at Autostrom plus, sums up the ambitions of the company.
The Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport’s plan for a nationwide network of fast-charging points, known as Deutschlandnetz (‘German network’), will ensure the establishment of a reliable, needs-oriented fast charging infrastructure throughout Germany. It will eliminate the ‘white spots’ in the charging stations map. The German network comprises more than 1,000 locations, so ensuring that the closest charging point anywhere in Germany can be reached within a few minutes. The federal government invests an aggregate amount of around 2.3 billion euros in the installation and operation of the nationwide network of fast-charging hubs. In the long term, 4,000 charging points are to be installed on the highways. The network is designed so that charging points on the highways can be reached every ten minutes.
Please visit our website for more information about Autostrom plus GmbH and the member companies: Autostrom plus (dreso.com)