Electric taxis encounter contradictory signs

Those traveling with an electrically powered taxi or rental car may need to charge in unfamiliar areas. While the performance and number of charging points can be queried in good apps and navigation systems in advance, this does not apply to the parking rules at the charging stations. At the end of January 2022, the ADAC pointed out that very different signage can be found in the 16 state capitals of the country. The only consistent thing, apparently, is that nowhere are fees charged for parking at a charging station.

In 11 out of the 16 cities, one was only allowed to charge if the vehicle had an E-license plate, for which the sign showing a vehicle with a plug stands. Parking without charging was prohibited in 5 out of 16 cities. This could benefit electric taxis and rental cars because the spaces would likely not be unnecessarily occupied for long. However, there are also cities that only impose time restrictions.

Parking at regular, slow AC charging stations was time-restricted in 14 cities. At fast chargers, parking is often limited to one hour of charging time, which can already be too little with a large battery, low outside temperatures, and low charging power.

The automobile club points out that at a charging station with the additional sign "Vehicle with plug," you are only allowed to park with an E-license plate, but you do not necessarily have to charge. If the sign reads "Only during the charging process," it remains unclear what is understood by the charging process and whether electricity must flow. It is therefore questionable how to proceed if the battery is already full but the vehicle remains parked.

The ADAC therefore calls for an unambiguous formulation of the regulations and clearly understandable signage. Charging should be time-limited and allowed for all electric vehicles – even for those without an E-license plate.

For the study, the automobile club surveyed the road traffic authorities of all 16 state capitals in June 2021. The collected data was reviewed in November 2021.