Federal Minister Andreas Scheuer today gave the starting signal for the tender of the Deutschlandnetz (Germany Network). In order to provide the basic supply of fast charging infrastructure for medium and long-distance traffic, the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI – Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur) is calling for tenders for the construction and operation of a good 1,000 fast charging sites, each with several charging points.
Several thousand new fast charging points will thereby be created – the Deutschlandnetz. They will complement the existing large fast-charging sites and thus ensure a comprehensive and demand-oriented fast-charging infrastructure throughout Germany. Charging capacities of up to 300 kW must be made possible on site.
Minister Scheuer: “The next fast charging station needs to be located within 10 minutes! That is the goal we have set ourselves. And that is what we will deliver. This is because charging must always be possible everywhere in Germany. Only in this way will we succeed in awakening people’s enthusiasm for climate-friendly mobility and encourage them to switch from a combustion engine to an electric car. An important factor in making the switch is also the price at the charging station. That is why we have set a price cap of currently 44 cents per kWh in our tender, which is below the price of diesel. In total, we are allocating around 2 billion euros for the construction of the 1000 fast-charging locations.”
The establishment and operation of the Deutschlandnetz will be awarded within the scope of two separate tenders:
- Regional lots
- Nationwide lots on motorways
Today’s announcement focuses on the publication of the 900 search areas of the regional lots and the pricing model. The tender provides for a floating price cap of 44 cents per kWh. By defining a pricing model for charging at the locations of the Deutschlandnetz, the aim is to ensure that there are no adverse repercussions for the market developing in parallel and that users find fair prices at the same time. The level of the floating price cap of 44 cents per kWh has been chosen taking into account both free market and climate policy aspects.
Kurt-Christoph von Knobelsdorff, Managing Director of NOW GmbH: “Germany is aiming to be climate neutral by 2045. This is a major challenge, especially in the transport sector. The answer is electrification in all variants in order to be able to guarantee mobility with renewable instead of conventional fossil energies. In the case of passenger cars, the lion’s share of the fleet must be directly electrified. The prerequisite is a nationwide, convenient charging infrastructure. The Deutschlandnetz is an essential element for this to become a reality.”
Johannes Pallasch, Spokesperson of the Management Team of the National Centre for Charging Infrastructure: “With the tender for the Deutschlandnetz, a new approach now complements the federal government’s instruments for the rapid expansion of the charging infrastructure in Germany. With this fast charging network, we are specifically eliminating the last ‘white spots’ on the charging map and setting new standards. This approach is unique worldwide. I am looking forward to the start of the tender and witnessing a ‘competition of ideas’ among the tenderers.”
The move from funding to tendering is a paradigm shift in government support for the expansion of charging infrastructure in Germany. In addition to the BMVI’s funding programmes for public and non-public charging infrastructure, an approach now exists in which the construction and guarantee of operation of the charging points are contractually binding for the winners of the tender process. The evaluation criteria include costs, concept and customer friendliness.
The 900 search areas are spread over 23 regional lots in a total of 6 regions (North-West, North-East, Central Germany, South-East, South-West and West). These search areas define a specific area, such as around a transport hub. In each search area, a fast charging location with at least four and up to 16 fast charging points is to be created. The bidders must submit or identify suitable locations within these search areas. This procedure is aimed at regionally active operators as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The regional lots are to be put out to tender on 15 September 2021.
An interactive map with the search areas can be found (in German) at: www.deutschlandnetz.de
The nationwide lots on motorway comprise approx. 200 locations on unmanaged rest areas along the federal motorways. They are intended to create a seamless charging infrastructure along the motorways. This call for tenders is intended in particular to address companies that are active throughout Germany and Europe. The tender for the nationwide lots on motorways will be issued by Autobahn GmbH in autumn.
In determining the need for search areas and their provision with charging points, the pre-existing fast charging infrastructure with a capacity of more than 150 kW was taken into account. The federal government also defines minimum technical requirements and quality standards at the locations of the fast charging network and will ensure that they are met.
Image material:
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