Germany to launch auctions for truck charging stations along motorways in September

German transport minister Volker Wissing has said that the government will launch first auctions for the right to set up electric truck charging infrastructure along the country's famed Autobahn network in September. "Germany is becoming a pioneer in forward-looking charging infrastructure policy," Wissing said. The initial tenders would help create new charging facilities for trucks at around 130 unmanaged motorway service areas across the country. Later, 220 charging facilities at managed service stations would be auctioned as well. The total would then be enough to cover around two-thirds of the expected charging needs of heavy-duty freight traffic on Germany's motorways, the minister said.

Transport news service Electrive reported that auctioning for the managed service stations cannot yet go forward, because of a lawsuit at an EU court, which was initiated by Tesla Germany and Fastned Deutschland. The two companies criticised that a de facto monopoly by another company – Tank & Rast – prevents them from installing superchargers at Autobahn stops.

Trucks and other freight vehicles are the backbone of Germany’s export-driven economy. But the rapid growth in traffic volumes in recent years has increased pressure on the transport sector to reduce emissions as it already lags behind on its climate targets. Experts say that battery-electric trucks are set to take over heavy-duty road freight because they are much cheaper to run than other low-emission technologies, such as vehicles running on hydrogen.