Frankfurt will provide 280 charging stations for electric cars until 2023

The stations have been designed to charge cars in city parking so that the average car owner can then drive home

Yesterday, authorities in Frankfurt announced a new project to install over 280 charging stations for electric cars spread out in the city’s urban car parks. The idea behind the sustainable mobility project is to offer a re-fuelling solution for the average driving trip into Frankfurt.

The decision to expand the charging infrastructure came from the growing number of electric vehicles. City officials have said around 10% of all vehicles in Frankfurt are electric or hybrid, and the trend shows that that number is only set to grow.

All in all, the project will cost 1.4 million euros. The first step in implementing the project would be a call for tenders in the first half of this year, while the charging stations themselves will be up and running as soon as 2023.

Driving electric cars for city trips becomes more convenient

One of the big issues with electric cars, despite their carbon efficiency, is that they take a long time to charge and have a relatively short driving range. A full battery charge could take up to seven hours, depending on the model of the car and the station itself.

Driving ranges, usually fit between 200 and 400 kilometres, with most e-vehicles being closer to the lower threshold. This is further impacted by weather, as the summer heat and winter cold can destabilise the efficiency of lithium batteries. Imagine if you forget to charge your car before your trip into the city?

Luckily, this is the exact scenario Frankfurt officials are trying to avoid. As they have explained, according to their data, the average length of stay in the parking garages in the city centre is two to three hours.

During this time, fully electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids can usually be recharged with enough electricity to take them home. The charging stations will be spread out in 11 garages in the city, covering a wide area. Each will have a maximum charging capacity of 22 kilowatts.

The project was developed with Mainova, a large regional energy company in Germany, supplying electricity to at least one million people, as well as gas, heat and water. According to CEO Constantin Alsheimer, the charging station expansion was thought out on a needs-based approach, while keeping usability and convenience as key factors.