Loading kerbs proven in practice

15.08.2025

Source: E & M powernews

The positive feedback from the first 60 days, both from the operator and the users, has encouraged Stadtwerke Düsseldorf to expand the range of charging curbs.

After 60 days in operation, Stadtwerke Düsseldorf has taken stock of its loading kerbs. In a press release, the utility company puts it in a nutshell: "small but powerful". The experience with the new public charging points has been so positive that further locations with the new technology, which is supplied by Rheinmetall, are to be added to the two locations already in operation. By the end of 2025, a total of 23 e-charging points in the form of charging curbs will be available to the citizens of the North Rhine-Westphalian state capital.

"Düsseldorf has a great mix of convenient charging options and with more than 1,500 public charging points, we offer a strong infrastructure for electric driving here," explains Lord Mayor Stephan Keller, emphasizing at the same time that all types of mobility are being further developed in the state capital "so that they play an equal role in Düsseldorf's future, climate-friendly mobility".

Last June, Stadtwerke put the first serially produced charging curbs into operation. The first prototypes had been tested on a Stadtwerk site since the middle of last year. In the meantime, the charging curbs had not only reached series maturity and passed extensive tests, but the charging processes could also be billed in accordance with calibration law, as the utility announced in June. This meant that Stadtwerke had met all the requirements to make the first six charging kerbs on Derendorfer Allee accessible to the public. According to the company, a total of more than 500 charging processes took place there between the beginning of June and the end of July.

As Stadtwerke board member Charlotte Beissel had already emphasized in June, the small space requirement is generally seen as a major advantage of the new technology. "The new charging kerbs solve one of the biggest problems in urban areas: the frequent lack of space," said Beissel. The new charging points are therefore a perfect way to densify the existing infrastructure. Due to the limited space available, it has not always been possible to approve charging points at the preferred location, even if the demand or acceptance among e-car drivers might be high there, according to Jochen Kral, Head of Mobility and Environment.

In operation to date, the municipal utilities have attested to a 99 percent function rate for the charging curbs. Parking offenders have also been rare, as the respective charging points are clearly marked with large pictograms on the asphalt. And finally, rain could not harm the encapsulated electronic modules. There are no known cases of soiling caused by dog excrement.

Fritz Wilhelm