On 17 March, Stadtwerke Gießen and the city of Gießen inaugurated another fast-charging station for electric vehicles. In future, e-cars, e-scooters and pedelecs can be charged very conveniently - while you can relax in the Ringallee bathing centre.
At the beginning of February, German car manufacturers and the German government met at the e-mobility summit in Berlin. The topic was how to increase the sales figures of electric cars. Experts do not consider the currently discussed purchase premium of 5,000 euros to be sufficient. In the long term, it is more important to expand the charging infrastructure. This is precisely what the city of Giessen and Stadtwerke Giessen (SWG) are working together to drive forward. On Thursday, 17 March, they inaugurated a public charging station for electric vehicles in the car park in front of the Ringallee swimming centre - financed by the city and built and operated by SWG. In future, bathers - like everyone else - will be able to recharge their
e-vehicles there within a short space of time.
"Particularly in city centres and for short journeys between home and work, electric vehicles will eventually replace conventional vehicles with combustion engines. However, this will also require charging stations," emphasised Matthias Funk, Technical Director of SWG. City Councillor Astrid Eibelshäuser added: "With a strong municipal energy company, we have the ideal partner at our side here in Giessen to tackle the challenges of electromobility."
Battery charging in no time at all
The rapid charging station in the car park in front of the Ringallee bathing centre has two charging panels, each with two charging points. One is designed for Schuko plugs, while the other type 2 offers a charging capacity of up to 22 kilowatts and enables particularly fast charging processes. Electric cars, e-scooters and electric bicycles - such as pedelecs - can be connected to the "petrol pump". The same applies to the two other locations in Lahnstraße and in front of the town hall in Pohlheim. "There are two more charging points in the underground car park under the town hall. This means there are now four publicly accessible e-charging stations in Giessen," added Astrid Eibelshäuser.
At the Giessen charging stations, drivers of electric vehicles can automatically refuel with climate-friendly and nuclear-free electrical energy. Matthias Funk comments: "The same applies to our charging points as to all private households and small businesses. We only use 'Giessen green electricity', around 40 per cent of which we produce locally in highly efficient combined heat and power plants. The rest comes from certified hydropower plants."
Convenient charging as an SWG electricity customer
At all three SWG-operated charging stations - in Pohlheim, in Lahnstraße Gießen and now also in front of the Ringallee swimming centre - SWG electricity customers can charge their batteries free of charge. All they need is a personal fuel card, which they can apply for at the reception desk of the SWG head office in Lahnstraße.
And all those who do not purchase electricity from SWG will receive their fuel card for a one-off purchase price of 25 euros. This allows them to charge their electric vehicle as often as they like until the end of the respective calendar year.
SWG also has a solution for all those who are travelling through. At the head office, SWG issues loan cards against a deposit, which can also be used to refuel free of charge.
Anyone wishing to borrow, apply for or purchase a fuel card can do so during the opening hours of the head office at Lahnstraße 31: Mondays to Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.