The German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI – Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur) is today launching the tender for the Deutschlandnetz (“Germany Network”). Companies and consortia of companies can now enter the tender for the contract to build and operate around 900 fast-charging sites throughout Germany.
The Deutschlandnetz is intended to ensure the basic supply of fast-charging infrastructure for medium and long-haul traffic with around 8,000 additional fast-charging points. In doing so, it will supplement the major fast-charging locations already in place, thus ensuring a nationwide fast-charging infrastructure that caters to demand throughout Germany.
Federal Minister of Transport Andreas Scheuer: “Easy charging always and everywhere, that is our goal. Today we are taking the next big step by launching the tender for the Deutschlandnetz. With the Deutschlandnetz, we are creating market-based competition that will lead to the development of fast-charging infrastructure in exactly the places where we need it most – on medium and long-distance journeys throughout the country. Our approach is unique worldwide and significantly reinforces the transition. Fast-charging points must be accessible nationwide within ten minutes, and payment methods must be simple and uniform. This is the only way to get people excited about climate-friendly electric mobility.”
Kurt-Christoph von Knobelsdorff, Managing Director of NOW GmbH: “The Deutschlandnetz is the most important building block in our strategy for the ‘overall charging infrastructure system’. With it, we are now eliminating ‘white spots’ on the charging map across the board and are laying the foundation for the fast-charging network of the future. The great era of electric mobility is only just beginning. Right from the start, the Deutschlandnetz is ensuring that our country masters this transition in an exemplary manner.”
Johannes Pallasch, spokesperson for the management team of the National Centre for Charging Infrastructure: “I am extremely pleased that through the National Centre for Charging Infrastructure we are making a very significant contribution to the creation of a nationwide and user-friendly charging infrastructure, while also breaking new ground with the instrument of the call for tenders. A nationwide fast-charging network is a prerequisite for the successful electrification of road transport, which is essential in the interests of climate protection.”
The construction and operation of the Deutschlandnetz will be awarded in two separate tenders. The first tender, which has now been launched, focuses on 900 search areas for fast-charging sites in 23 regional lots covering the whole of Germany. In a second tender, the construction and operation of around 200 fast-charging sites at unmanaged rest areas on federal highways will be put out to tender. The nationwide motorway lots will be put out to tender by Autobahn GmbH in autumn.
The first phase of the call for tenders takes place in the form of a so-called tender competition with an application period of six weeks. After the review and evaluation of the applications, the remaining bidders are invited to submit their initial offer. After this, negotiations will be conducted. The final awards for the individual bids are scheduled to be made in the third quarter of 2022. The award documents are available as of this afternoon on the federal government’s e-tendering platform www.evergabe-online.de.
The 900 search areas of the regional lots are spread over a total of six regions (North-West, North-East, Central Germany, South-East, South-West and West) and define a specific area, such as around a transport hub. In each search area, a fast-charging site with at least four and up to 16 fast-charging points is to be established. The bidders must submit or find suitable locations within these search areas. This procedure is aimed at regionally active operators and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
An interactive map with the search areas can be found at: www.deutschlandnetz.de
The step from funding to tendering is a paradigm shift in government support for the expansion of charging infrastructure in Germany. In addition to the BMVI funding programmes for public and non-public charging infrastructure, an approach now exists in which the establishment as well as the guaranteed operation of the charging points are contractually obligatory for the winners of the tendering procedure. The BMVI also defines and ensures compliance with future-proof minimum technical requirements at the locations of the Deutschlandnetz, such as a minimum charging capacity of 200 kW available at all times at each charging point, quality standards and a flexible price corridor oriented to the market and the price of electricity. The evaluation criteria for the bids include costs, concept and customer friendliness.
Image material:
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