Barrier-free e-mobility: Cable-Sherpa makes charging easier for everyone!

Mobility is essential for a free and self-determined life. It enables participation in social life and access to many activities. Whether by bike, electric car, train or public transport - means of transportation are often necessary to actively participate in life. However, people with physical disabilities often encounter minor or major obstacles: Edges of sidewalks, high steps in buses and streetcars or e-charging cables lying around can make independent mobility considerably more difficult. In this article, we show what makes an accessible e-charging station.

Barrier-free mobility: a key to inclusion

Whether on the way to work, school or the supermarket – a means of transportation such as a bus or an electric car is usually essential. What sounds obvious to many of us often poses major challenges for people with physical disabilities. There are currently 760,000 people with a “registered disability” in Austria (as of 2024), compared to 7.9 million in Germany (as of 2024). Barrier-free access to private transport in particular is crucial for people with disabilities to lead an inclusive life, as it makes social participation significantly easier or even possible in the first place. Accessibility in transport is therefore a key factor in enabling all people to participate in social life on an equal footing. Accessibility also plays a central role in the field of e-mobility: the barrier-free design of e-charging stations, for example, promotes inclusion and participation. In the next section, we look at what should be taken into account when designing the charging station.

What is meant by “barrier-free charging infrastructure”?

A barrier-free charging infrastructure enables all users, including people with disabilities or people with temporary mobility restrictions, to charge electric vehicles easily and without obstacles. Accessibility here means that access and operation of the charging stations are designed in such a way that they can be used by all people without restriction and are as safe as possible. The German Institute for Standardization (DIN) requires, for example, targeted cable routing to simplify the use of the charging station. DIN 18040-3 forms the basis for the planning, design and equipment of these systems. The now available and published technical rule DIN SPEC 91504 defines more specific requirements on this basis:

"A suitable cable management system must prevent the use of the attached charging cable from hindering movement from the charging device to the vehicle and back. In addition, the cable management system should also reduce the force required to guide the attached charging cable. The cable management system also prevents the attached charging cable from lying in a loop on the floor, for example, and restricting the range of movement at the charging device."

DIN Deutsches Institut für Normung e. V.

8 Requirements for an accessible e-charging station:

Height of the various operating elements: When designing charging infrastructures, it is important that all elements to be operated (buttons, card slots, controls on display surfaces as well as charging plugs and sockets) are positioned at a height (0.85m to 1.05m) that is easy for everyone to reach.
Controls and displays: Buttons and controls on the charging device must be tactilely distinguishable and visually distinct from the background. It should also be possible to control all functions of the charging device, with the exception of the charging cable, via a mobile application on smartphones.
Cable management system for e-charging cables: To ensure that the charging cable does not become a barrier, the e-charging station has an optimized cable management system, such as our Cable-Sherpa. This prevents the e-charging cable from lying on the floor, making it easier to handle. In addition, the cable management reduces the force required to guide the cable and thus promotes user-friendly operation.
Accessibility of the charging station: Unobstructed access to the charging station is essential. Stepless access to the charging station is particularly important for people with limited mobility. There should be a clear area of at least 1.50 m x 1.50 m in front of each control element so that they can also be reached by wheelchair.
Positioning of the e-charging stations: The charging equipment must be positioned outside the sidewalks so that the usable sidewalk width is not impaired and e-charging cables do not run across these areas during use (see also point 3. Cable management systems as a solution).
Lighting: The signaling of a charging facility in public spaces must be designed so that it is clearly visible during operating hours, even in the dark. Adequate lighting ensures that all users can easily recognize the charging facility. This ensures safety and user-friendliness in the evening and in poor lighting conditions.
Obstacle marking: Unavoidable fixtures and obstacles in movement and walking areas must be designed to be visually perceptible. This helps to ensure that they can be easily recognized by users.
Ground guidance systems: The public transportation area should be equipped with a consistent and networked guidance system for blind and visually impaired people. This is particularly important at locations with several charging points in the immediate vicinity.

Source: https://nationaleleitstelle.de/wpcontent/uploads/2023/04/Leitfaden_barrierefreie_Ladeinfrastruktur.pdf

Conclusion: Making mobility accessible for all

The design and establishment of e-charging stations that are easily accessible for all users is an important step towards enabling mobility and social participation for people with physical disabilities. With clear requirements for operating height, controls, cable management and general accessibility, barrier-free e-charging stations create better conditions for everyone. Cable management systems such as our Cable-Sherpa make it much easier to handle charging cables and help to ensure that e-mobility is easy to use for everyone.