My new article: tesla-mag.com/why-germany-ph…

Tesla has partnered with Fastned, to sue the 🇩🇪 German monopoly freeway service station company “Tank & Rast” which holds 95% of all stations, to allow building Superchargers at their service stations and hinder them from extending their existing monopoly to charging stations. Fast Charging stations are actively blocked by Tank & Rast, which is owned by investors related to the oil and gas industry. In addition, they build charging stations only if they believe to be able making good profit preventing indirectly a required dense fast charging network on German Autobahn. The company would like to extend this dominant market position holding 95% of all service stations to the fast-charging station business too, which is currently being built - or rather should be built - at countless freeway service stations. Tesla and Fastned, do not want to accept that they will not get their chance. Starting Thursday, the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court (OLG) will hear whether the federal government will extend Tank & Rast's monopoly on highway rest stops to fast charging. Tank & Rast originally belonged to the federal German government and was privatized in 1998 and their status never changed. Today, the group is owned by Allianz Capital Partners, a Munich Re subsidiary, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and the Canadian infrastructure fund Borealis Infrastructure. It is unacceptable that there is no free market and that a company that owns 95% of all rest stops on German highways for legacy reasons has the possibility to block and hinder the development of sustainable means of transport. It is a shame that the German Ministry of Transport supports this stance and I hope that the OLG lawyers will decide in the best interest of the consumer. Free Markets is the way to go.