Riding an E-Bike is a true experience. Hills can be easily climbed, long roads and slight inclines can be effortlessly overcome, and you can always feel the wind on your back. E-Biking is silent and does not require backbreaking effort, and it has become the cleanest way of travelling through nature. The diverse landscape of the Black Forest, with its gentle rolling hills and valleys, meadows and forests, is ideal for E-Biking. And the Black Forest is leading the way when it comes to E-Biking.

An initiative by the Schwarzwald Tourismus GmbH (STG) has seen a comprehensive network of charging stations be established throughout the Black Forest region, so that even longer tours are now possible. As a result, the Black Forest is the first holiday region in Germany that provides a forward-looking supply network of this size for E-Bikers, and that displays all of the different stations on one map. And the best thing: E-Bikers can charge their batteries up for free at intervals along the route, which guarantee complete coverage.

The practical A0 sized folding map gives E-Bikers a clear overview of where the next charging station is located so that they can charge their batteries. There are a total of 170 charging stations. Each is labelled with the Black Forest logo and the words 'E-Bike Tankstelle' (E-Bike station). The E-Bike station network map shows the location of the stations. There is a photograph of the station in question, the address and opening times, as well as a list of the services provided by each charging station and bike hire shop.

The Managing Director of the STG, Christopher Krull, is pleased: 'We have succeeded in gaining numerous suppliers, lenders, locations and businesses as partners, and to present the attractiveness of the Black Forest as an E-Bike region through the geographical network too. This map is the first representation of a complete network of charging stations, which is the largest of its kind in Germany.'

The charging stations are predominantly found at restaurants and cafés, which allow the cyclist to rest whilst the battery recharges. Charging a battery from 0 to 70 % capacity takes approx. 1.5 hours – equivalent to a pleasant lunch break. The charging stations (by manufacturers Panasonic and Bosch) are suitable for around 70 % of the E-Bikes purchased in Germany.

Pre-existing 'E-Bike regions' (with hire shops, battery exchanging facilities etc.) in the Black Forest are presented on the rear of the map.
The project has been supported by the ecological energy supplier 'Naturenergie' from Rheinfelden, which supplies many of the stations with ecological power.

The charging stations can also be viewed on the digital map available from www.schwarzwald-tourismus.info, on the digital cycle network map produced by the Baden-Württemberg government (available from June at www.fahrradland-bw.de) and on the Schwarzwald app for the iPhone.

The printed version of the map is available for free from the Schwarzwald Tourismus GmbH, Heinrich-von-Stephan-Str. 8b, 79100 Freiburg, telephone 0049 761/8 96 46 93, fax 0049 761/8 96 46 70 or online from www.schwarzwald-tourismus.info.

Photo: Shutterstock