E-car in Potsdam: When the charging station becomes an obstacle!

E-car in Potsdam: When the charging station becomes an obstacle!

Potsdam, Deutschland - More and more people looking for sustainable transportation options cannot avoid dealing with e-mobility. So also Klaus-Peter Ludwig, who, together with a friend, drives an electric car-a Fiat-and wants to be as environmentally friendly as possible in Potsdam and the surrounding area. But how easy is the vehicle to be charged?

A first attempt with the customer card of Energie und Wasser Potsdam GmbH (EWP) should be made at the charging station of Energie Brandenburg GmbH (EMB) in Werder (Havel). Unfortunately, this attempt was unsuccessful, however, because Ludwig's girlfriend had no debit or credit card with them. This shows once again how crucial the payment options on the charging stations are - a knowledge that is reflected in the charging column regulation (LSV). This regulates that at least one common cashless payment option must be available at public charging points.

Payment options and challenges

Particularly funny: loading points that went into operation before December 14, 2017 are excluded from the new payment requirements. However, stricter requirements, including the obligation to provide an NFC card terminal, apply to all loading points that went online from July 1, 2023. But here the dilemma begins: the operators often have different billing systems, which makes it difficult to use the charging cards. The EWP is part of a roaming network, but not connected to the EMB system, which makes loading with the EWP card impossible.

To make the whole thing more confusing, there are roaming agreements between different charging column operators. Virta explains that roaming works similarly to the phone-it enables e-drivers to access a larger network of charging stations without having to conclude their own contracts for every provider. This allows users to locate and control different charging stations using their app.

The importance of interoperability

The challenge of interoperability is of central importance. Customers want to be able to use numerous charging stations with an account if possible. EROAMING could help to manage the constantly growing need for charging infrastructure. Despite these possibilities, the current market situation is characterized by asymmetrical competition. Higher roaming prices and lack of common standards ensure that the costs for users get up.

Three levels of roaming networks exist: The first level is specific to charging service providers, while the second level includes larger networks such as Virta, access to internal roaming stations. The third level is covered by large roaming platforms such as Hubject, which bundle thousands of charging points worldwide.

The location in Potsdam and the surrounding area

in Potsdam, the number of public charging stations is not to be despised: 193 charging stations are currently available, there are even 345 in the Potsdam-Mittelmark region. Despite this positive development, however, the uniform interoperability of the charging cards outside the area of influence is. The Brandenburg Ministry still tries to improve the user -friendliness of the charging infrastructure.

With an interactive card, the Federal Network Agency would like to provide an overview of all operators and charging stations. This card not only shows the locations, but also technical details on the charging points, from the operator address to the technical equipment. So every user can quickly find their optimal charging situation.

E-mobility may have many hurdles at first glance, but the interest and effort to constantly improve the infrastructure are obvious. It is only to be hoped that the challenges will soon be a thing of the past and that sustainable driving in the region will remain popular.