Fast charging along the autobahn – Digitailing

These are fast chargers along the autobahn, but there is a normal one in the larger cities ev box charging station to find. The charging rates in Germany are not entirely identical to those in the Netherlands. There are relatively many places where you can fast charge for free, such as large furniture stores and supermarkets. On the other hand, there are also places where charging the battery of the electric car costs a little more than in the Netherlands. Fortunately, you can use the Dutch payment systems at many charging stations.

Watch out for the eastern border

The fact that there are more than enough fast chargers on the major German motorways applies in particular to the routes used by the Dutch. This concerns the roads through the former West Germany. In the much poorer East of Germany you have to prepare well if you take a long trip with the electric car. Public charging stations in the cities are less available. Because the charging stations are organized regionally, the systems are not all linked. As a result, you sometimes have to download a local app to use a charging station.

Ladenetz

The charging stations that can be found in Germany near public parking spaces, such as hospitals, shopping centers, government buildings and major attractions, are almost all linked to the German Ladenetz partnership. There you can pay with many of the Dutch payment systems. However, there are also public parking spaces where the charging stations are not part of Ladenetz. It is therefore absolutely necessary to check whether you can charge your electric car if you go to an area where you are not familiar. You can use Dutch apps to find the locations of the charging stations in Germany.

Free fast charging

In Germany you can charge your battery for free in many more places than in the Netherlands. This is particularly the case at the Ikea stores, some of the Aldi and Kaufland supermarkets and Lidl supermarkets. If you plan to charge your car there, you can only do so during the opening hours of the shops. Outside those times, the charging stations are closed. You can also have to deal with long queues, because charging the battery of the electric car for free is also very popular in Germany.

Charging stations in the city

Many charging stations that can be found in the cities can also be used free of charge. Here too, you must first check where these charging stations are located, because the density of the network is less than in the Netherlands. Charging at these charging stations is often free, but they are not fast chargers. Charging starts when you connect the car to the pole. To stop charging, first disconnect the charging cable on the side of the car. At that moment, the cable on the side of the charging station is automatically disconnected.