Aachen goes electric

For many years, Aachen has been a pioneer in public charging infrastructure to promote the use of electric cars. With success!

4,797 electric cars out of a total of 115,655 cars registered in Aachen corresponds to 4.11% (as of 1.1.2024; in comparison: Germany: 2.87%). In Aachen, there are 692 public charging points at 342 charging stations (as of Dec. 2024). This means that 12 electric cars "share" a charging point in Aachen (in comparison: 20 electric cars in Germany).

Since 2011, the city of Aachen has concentrated on developing a rental system for electric bikes so that the pedelecs can always be charged. Public charging facilities for electric bikes have so far only been available in a few places.

For fleets and delivery traffic, the city of Aachen is working with the relevant stakeholders to find possible solutions for charging infrastructure.

ASEAG is a pioneer in the testing and procurement of zero-emission buses and charges its buses at its depot.

To prevent non-electric vehicles from inadvertently parking at charging stations, they are signposted and some are equipped with floor markings. Anyone who parks in a marked electric parking space without authorization must expect a heavy fine. Misuse costs 55 euros.

Public charging facilities for e-cars

Where there are charging points in Aachen and which ones are currently free can be found on the mobility dashboard. When charging on public roads, please note that the charging time between 7 am and 9 pm is limited to 2 hours at AC charging stations and 1 hour at DC charging stations (fast charging stations).

Free parking for electric cars - for 2 hours

Electric cars can park free of charge for a maximum of two hours in all Aachen parking zones for residents. A parking disk and an e-license plate are required. Foreign vehicles that meet the criteria of a German e-license plate can obtain a vignette from the Road Traffic Office of the StädteRegion Aachen; the regulation also applies to these vehicles. The exact procedure is described on the page. The Aachen City Council adopted this regulation in May 2018. Since then, the parking ticket machines have been fitted with stickers indicating the exemption from charges.

The regulation applies to parking spaces on public streets, i.e. anywhere where parking tickets from parking machines may be used. It does not apply to private parking spaces or parking garages. It is not only intended to promote electromobility. It is also intended to help keep the charging infrastructure, i.e. the charging stations with their charging points, free for e-vehicles that urgently need to be charged and not just parked.

Desire for new charging stations

The city has established a procedure to ensure that new charging infrastructure is created in line with demand. The city acts as a licensor for companies ("operators") that set up and operate charging infrastructure on their own account. In doing so, the City of Aachen tries to keep the costs for the operators as low as possible without compromising on quality standards.

For private individuals who do not have their own charging infrastructure at home or near their home, STAWAG is a very good point of contact. It accepts requests for new stations in its e-store or via its website.

Further topics