Stop 04 of 09 · Building

How is a site laid out?

About 6 min · 3 questions ·

Wednesdaymonth 4
The situation

The planner places eight bays on the drawing, two per charger, with the transformer station at the edge of the car park.

One question takes longer than expected: which side of the car is the charging inlet on?

The questionWhat makes a layout easy to use, for every driver and every car?

Two common layoutsBays side by side, or drive-through
Side by sideCompact, like normal parking; cables must reach inlets on either side.
  1. Drive innose or tail first
  2. Chargecable reach decides
  3. Reverse outas in any car park
Drive-throughTakes more space; works for vans and cars with trailers.
  1. Drive infrom one side
  2. Chargecharger beside the lane
  3. Drive onno reversing

A hub can combine both, as this one does: most bays side by side, a drive-through lane for longer vehicles. ADAC asks that at least some charge points allow charging with a trailer without uncoupling.

Accessible to everyone

In its recitals, asks that charging stations be accessible and easy to use for as many people as possible, in particular older people, people with reduced mobility and people with disabilities. Its examples: enough space around the parking place, no installation on a kerbed surface, buttons and screen at a suitable height, and a manageable weight of the cable.

The details drivers notice

  • Cable reach. ADAC found six different inlet positions among 235 vehicles. Cables and charger positions must cover all of them without blocking the next bay.
  • Light and shelter. ADAC asks for canopies over charging bays as at fuel stations, and for good lighting.
  • Signs and numbers. Each charger and bay clearly numbered, so the app, the screen and the hotline refer to the same place.
  • Protection. Bollards or kerbs around the chargers, without putting the charger itself on a raised kerb.

Check your understanding

3 questions. Answer all of them to complete this stop. Each answer explains itself.

01Question 1 of 3

Which example does AFIR give for accessible charging stations?

02Question 2 of 3

Why do drive-through lanes suit some vehicles better?

03Question 3 of 3

Why does cable reach matter so much at a public hub?

Further in other paths

  1. Truck charging · Stop 05What does a truck charging site need?Room to manoeuvre, drive-through bays, megawatts of power and data that say which vehicles fit: what a site for heavy trucks needs, and what AFIR sets out.
  1. ADAC: Test E-Auto-Laden an der Autobahn: Hier hakt es noch (4 November 2025): canopies, charging with a trailer, lighting. https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/elektromobilitaet/laden/ladeinfrastruktur-autobahn-autohof-2025/. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
  2. EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 (AFIR), Articles 3, 5 and 20 and recital 38. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1804/oj. Checked 09 Oct 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
  3. ADAC: Ladeklappenposition: Links hinten ist oft unpraktisch, press release, 28 February 2024: six inlet positions in 235 vehicles. https://presse.adac.de/meldungen/adac-ev/technik/ladeklappenposition-links-hinten-ist-oft-unpraktisch.html. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
  4. ADAC: Test E-Auto-Laden an der Autobahn: Hier hakt es noch (4 November 2025): canopies, charging with a trailer, lighting. https://www.adac.de/rund-ums-fahrzeug/elektromobilitaet/laden/ladeinfrastruktur-autobahn-autohof-2025/. Checked 13 Oct 2026.
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