Fastned and the German Court Ruling: What You Need to Know

What happened on Friday 6 March in Germany?

On 6 March 2026, a German court (the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf) ruled that charging and fuel are separate markets and require separate, competitive tendering. This ruling marked the end of Fastned's long-running claim against Autobahn GmbH concerning the extension of fuel concessions awarded to Tank & Rast, Germany's largest operator of motorway service areas.

This is a significant principle: it means that fast charging infrastructure at motorway service areas in Germany cannot be awarded as a simple add-on to existing petrol station contracts. 

From now on, if a player wants to install EV charging services at an existing motorway service area in Germany, they’ll have to put these services out to tender, allowing competitors like Fastned to bid for them.

This ruling invalidates the existing ‘exclusive’ agreements that previously gave Tank & Rast control of EV fast charging at around 360 motorway locations. This gives both new and established players the chance to bring more EV charging services to the market - which is good for the electric driver.

Why does this matter?

Motorway service areas are where fast charging is most crucial, and there is an ever-increasing need for better quality charging infrastructure on German highways. 

Fastned brought a case against Autobahn GmbH to challenge extensions to the fuel concessions which had been granted to Tank & Rast, a private company that operates almost all motorway service areas in Germany. Today Tank & Rast controls around 90% of German motorway service areas, and under the original agreement, would have controlled all fast charging services at those areas too.

And that's a problem: it means one single company would be making the big decisions on infrastructure investment, quality, and pricing - essentially eliminating free competition. This would be bad news for drivers, and would slow the wider EV transition in Germany. 

Why did Fastned take up this case?

Simply put: because we believe in fair competition and providing the best charging experience to every electric driver. 

Previously, we were excluded from doing this at many serviced rest areas on German highways - prime locations for EV charging. Tank & Rast's exclusive arrangement meant we (and every other charging operator) couldn't bid for Germany's most strategically important locations.

The case took four years and a huge amount of work from our team in Germany. We pursued it because we're building a pan-European charging network for the long term, and this requires fair market access, in Germany and across the continent. 

So what does this ruling change?

The Court said that EV charging networks require specialist expertise and fair competition, and that multiple operators must be able to compete for these locations through competitive tenders - bringing faster rollout, better service, and real choice for EV drivers.

• Germany's motorway fast-charging will now be opened to competitive tendering.
• Multiple operators (including Fastned) can bid to build and operate charging infrastructure.
• Competition will drive faster infrastructure development and better service for drivers.
• A legal principle has been clearly established: charging networks cannot be bundled with other services to lock out competitors. 

What does it mean for Fastned, and what happens now?

The previous monopoly arrangement excluded us (and other EV charging companies) from Germany's largest motorway network. With our success in this case, Fastned can now participate in competitive bids for hundreds of potential motorway locations which were previously not available to us. This opens up new possibilities for our network in Germany, which already extends to over 50 stations around the country. 

This ruling also validates our long-standing principle that EV charging is a standalone service requiring dedicated expertise - it’s not just an ‘add-on’ to petrol station re-fueling. This principle sets a template for competitive tendering across Europe.

The next step will be for Autobahn GmbH to design and launch a competitive tender process (likely later in 2026). Fastned’s team in Germany will soon begin preparing a comprehensive bid to operate charging infrastructure at these locations - aiming to bring more Fastned stations to German highways over the coming years.