German court opens motorway EV charging to competition
Fastned launched the legal challenge after arguing that Germany’s long standing fuel concessions unfairly shut competitors out of the motorway fast charging market.
A landmark ruling by the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf has reshaped Germany’s motorway charging landscape, ending decades of de‑facto exclusivity for fuel giant Tank & Rast and clearing the way for greater competition from operators such as Fastned.
In its decision on 6 March, the court found that fuel services and electric‑vehicle charging constitute separate markets that cannot be bundled into a single concession. The judgment invalidates existing agreements that had given Tank & Rast control over fast‑charging installations at roughly 360 motorway service areas, a dominance long criticised for stifling innovation and slowing the rollout of infrastructure.
Under the new principle, any company seeking to install fast chargers at motorway sites must now compete through open tenders, a move expected to accelerate deployment and improve service quality for drivers. For Fastned, which opened its first Autobahn station in 2025, the ruling unlocks access to hundreds of strategic locations previously out of reach.
Fastned brought the case after arguing that extending Tank & Rast’s fuel concessions effectively handed the company a monopoly over one of Europe’s most crucial EV charging networks. With tenders now due later in 2026, operators across the sector are preparing bids that could reshape long‑distance electric travel in Germany, and potentially set a precedent for competitive charging markets across Europe.
