Munich launches charging infrastructure tender

A brief look back at why the new tender is necessary in the first place: in November 2023, the Southern Bavaria Public Procurement Chamber ruled that the city had to restart an award procedure for 2,700 new charging points, which had already been running for three years at the time, due to a formal error. The formal sticking point was that the city had put a service contract out to tender, but should have put a concession out to tender. In April 2024, the first information about the new plans became known.

As the state capital has now announced in its Rathaus Umschau, the expansion of the charging infrastructure in Munich is set to pick up speed. “Now that the city council has amended the special use guidelines and special use fees, thus establishing a binding framework for the authorisation of charging facilities on public land, charging point operators can submit applications for the construction of charging facilities in Munich from today,” it says.

According to the city, a total of eight “equivalent” space contingents are being advertised, comprising three or, in one case, four city districts. CPOs can apply for one or more contingents. The operator awarded the contract has an exclusive right within their area, but must independently propose the specific locations. A map of the contingent areas and possible locations has been set up in the city’s geoportal – where location proposals from citizens from previous years are also listed. “If more than one complete and qualified application is received for each site quota, the decision will be made by lot,” says the city council.

One operator per site contingent

The documents are available online, and the link can be found at the end of the article. The deadline for applications is 6 March. According to the city, the implementation phase will begin “immediately upon completion of the competitive procedure.”

“The Mobility Department and the so-called reminder procedure will first check whether the proposed locations are feasible, and the relevant district committees will also be involved. Approval for a location can then be granted by the mobility Department,” it says. In concrete terms, the first charging points are expected to be installed and put into operation in the second half of 2025. If possible, the entire contingent should be installed by 2027.

A special aspect in Munich: The tender does not include specific targets for the number of charging points or charging columns but around the connected capacity. The aim is to “double the current connected capacity to around 55 MW in public areas as quickly as possible.”

“After being awarded one or more contingents, the CPO must install the charging infrastructure up to the determined connected load – corresponding to the connected load of the included city districts,” according to the Mobility Department’s website. An example: 1,997 kW of charging capacity is specified for contingent A, divided again into the three districts of Schwanthalerhöhe (125 kW), Ramersdorf-Perlach (1,393 kW) and Hadern (479 kW). The other contingents are also broken down into their respective districts.

In other words, it is currently impossible to precisely say how many charging points will be created through the tender. An example is given in the overview: 387 kW connected load in one district results in either 36 charging points with 11 kW or 18 charging points with 22 kW – or any combination of these.

Expansion on private land should run in parallel

The Mobility Department expressly calls on companies to consider the requirements of a barrier-free charging infrastructure wherever possible. When choosing a location, the operator should ensure the widest possible distribution in the city districts and offer certified green electricity. According to information from electrive, applications from international companies are welcome.

“The development of further normal charging infrastructure is a milestone in the state capital’s efforts to advance the drive transition. The Mobility Department is looking forward to receiving numerous applications,” says mobility officer Georg Dunkel. “Due to the scarcity of public space, charging infrastructure must also be further expanded on private property – for example, in underground car parks. The upcoming amendment to the Bavarian Building Code should make it easier to install charging infrastructure in future.”

muenchen.de (PDF, page 8), muenchenunterwegs.de (tender), muenchenunterwegs.de (PDF with map and contingents), geoportal.muenchen.de