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ADAC Audit Faults Germany’s Autobahn EV Charging as Autohofs Outshine Rastanlagen

The findings point to legal bottlenecks that have stalled high‑power upgrades at many motorway sites.

Overview

  • More than half of 50 motorway charging sites tested by ADAC were rated poor or very poor, with no location achieving a top grade.
  • All 13 “good” ratings went to privately run autohofs, while state Rastanlagen generally lagged; Euro‑Rastpark Schweitenkirchen (A9) led the ranking and two autohofs offered 400 kW units.
  • Only about a quarter of locations provided more than ten 150 kW‑plus chargers, roughly 22% had only 50 kW units, and testers found at least one defective point at nearly one third of sites.
  • Comfort and pricing fell short: none of the sites had shelter, direct card payment worked at only just over half, the final price was clear in 44% of cases, and lighting or long‑vehicle parking was often inadequate.
  • VDA data show roughly 180,000 public charging points nationwide including about 44,250 fast chargers with stark regional gaps, while a long‑running review of an Autobahn GmbH–Tank & Rast deal has delayed upgrades at many Rastanlagen.