Remember when? Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess has spoken out publicly about his “sad state” experience with Ionity charging stations in Europe? This week, the group brand Audi will open up its charging hub concept in Nuremburg, which is like saying, “This is actually how we charge.” This fast charging feature is aimed at Audi owners who don’t have home charging available, but anyone with an electric vehicle.
The modular, cube-based design wanted to make such facilities easy to erect in urban areas. The automaker says Power Unit In that house, charging electronics can be put back together and disassembled “within days”. The said cubes are placed on the ground, each containing a 320 kW high power charger, a buffer storage that includes a second generation the battery modules and energy management systems. One Storage Block at this concept site holds enough battery capacity to sustain 2.45 megawatt-hours of charge. This assembly is managed by the final module, a Control Cube.
In addition, the hub draws 200 kW of continuous green energy from the low-voltage grid already in use, which is enough to keep the Storage and Energy Blocks energized throughout a full day of charging. That grid draw eliminates the need for new high-voltage infrastructure. Rooftop solar cells can provide an additional 30 kW of energy. Assuming a day starts with full storage capacity, Audi says the facility can recharge around 80 EVs per day.
The six stations in Nuremburg have a charging capacity of 320 kW. This will give the Audi E-Tron GT battery a range of 62 km in about five minutes and take that battery from 5% to 80% in less than 25 minutes. Audi customers with an E-Tron Charging Service contract will pay 31 cents per kilowatt-hour, which Audi says is the same as using the Home Wall Box. It’s not clear what non-Audi owners will pay.
The automaker has designed a range of ways to make the most of customers’ time while the car is charging. The upstairs lounge is 2,100 square meters and 431 square meters. The courtyard has a luxury vending machine, in addition to what Audi calls “just-in-time delivery” and a 98-inch screen for checking the charging status or configuring an Audi. There is a battery swap station for electric bicycle, an e-scooter loaner and test drive are offered in the Q4 E-Tron and RS E-Tron GT. Charging stations and lounges will be open around the clock, with a staff member on duty from 10am to 7pm to help visitors.
Audi says it wants to understand what its customers want from a “premium charging experience”, from booking to occupancy, as well as all-day usage and battery storage system needs to meet all user requirements. To learn more about the inner workings of the station, check out this video from 14:00.
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