Recharge once please. And the asparagus.

Where politics is still failing in some cases, large companies are already taking action: E-mobility is becoming increasingly important in everyday life, and that’s exactly what companies like ALDI are recognizing. Through their new concepts, they are increasing interest in e-mobility and promoting the infrastructure. But how so?

Free power for your e-bike

It’s simple: anyone who goes shopping today on an e-bike will be rewarded for their sporting activity and for protecting the environment, and can look forward to free electricity. Bicycle parking systems with integrated battery charging function for e-bikes and pedelecs are now available at many discount stores.

Especially when it comes to e-mobility, the infrastructure is crucial. As soon as there are more options than the power socket at home to charge the bike, its attractiveness automatically increases. This phenomenon can also be observed in the – admittedly still few – electric cars on Germany’s roads. It was only when more and more service stations decided to gradually introduce e-charging stations that the total number of e-cars registered also increased more or less noticeably.

The fast-charging station from ALDI, for example, can be used easily and without the hassle of registration. The bike is connected to the power via its own charging cable. Once connected to the power, the battery charges for the purchase – but never longer than an hour.

On the road with the e-bike

WSM fast charging stations as added value for the customer promote e-mobility.

The road to e-mobility

To make sure that all this is really “green”, the electricity is generated by the photovoltaic systems installed on the roofs. Laudable. The charging stations mentioned can be found at around 50 locations, initially only in metropolitan areas. Dusseldorf, Cologne, Frankfurt a.M., Stuttgart and Munich are among them. With this, ALDI wants to “strengthen its contribution to the energy turnaround […] and further promote electromobility in Germany”.

Such action by large discount chains is exemplary and an important step in the right direction.

Admittedly: To make cycling even more attractive, much more needs to be done than introducing free e-charging stations. But that’s really not within the remit of our local supermarket. This is still a matter for policymakers.