The first customer to charge up for her electric car on Wednesday in the parking lot of the Dehner garden center in Sauerlach, if only for a photo, is Barbara Bogner, mayor of the town – even before she cuts the ribbon with a silhouette and thus the Ultra fast charging park opened. At five blue columns, each with two charging connections, ten e-cars can now charge their batteries simultaneously with green electricity in less than half an hour. “Start the app, unplug the cable and that’s it, the liters are already flowing,” explains Harald Praml to the head of the town hall. Together with his brother Martin, he founded Citywatt in 2006, “at a time when there were no electric cars on the market,” as he reports.
Business is now booming and he is convinced that the investment of 2.5 million euros in the Sauerlach site will be worthwhile. Like Franz Unterbichler, Managing Director of LHI Kapitalverwaltungsgesellschaft mbH based in Pullach, which is the investor behind the operators. As the first investor in Germany and Europe to finance this technology on a large scale, as Praml says. This is probably mainly due to the fact that the market for e-vehicles is growing rapidly and with it the demand for charging devices.
According to Praml, only 1.3 percent of vehicles in Germany are now electric; But that will change quickly, he expects a wave of electric vehicles – all of which will have to be charged. There are currently 5,000 fast charging stations in Germany, and Harald Praml estimates that 100,000 will be needed by 2030. The new fast-charging park is in a suitable location, near the motorway, the Sauerlach business park and the garden center, Barbara Bogner says happily and reminds her that the municipality had rejected the application for an advertising pylon. “It will be easy to find with the GPS,” she said. The e-charging park has LED lighting and a credit card terminal. In addition, at least one charging station is barrier-free.
For Citywatt it is not the first ultra-fast charging park. The company has concluded a framework agreement for 130 parking spaces with the Dehner garden center; Sauerlach is already the 37th location. With an output of up to 300 kilowatts, the stations are among the most powerful currently on the market, says Praml. Depending on the car model, a charging volume that is sufficient for a driving distance of around 400 kilometers can be reached within 20 minutes. The route can also be covered by her electric car in summer, says the mayor. And if there are several quick charging stations, that would be nice, says Bogner. “Have coffee for 20 minutes and then move on.”