Audi will open what it calls the world’s first EV charging hub to customers in Nuremberg, Germany on December 23.
Described as a modern quick-charging station with reservable high-power charging areas, the Audi charging hub targets electric car owners who don’t have any charging opportunities at home.
The hub will also serve future peak demand for charging in urban environments, offering a premium charging experience in the process. The pilot location in Nuremberg serves as a test of Audi’s new charging concept.
“We want to use it to test flexible and premium-oriented quick-charging infrastructure in urban space. We’re going where our customers don’t necessarily wake up in the morning with a fully charged electric car and at the same time thinking about increasing charging demand in the future.”
Ralph Hollmig, Audi charging hub project manager
The Audi charging hub is built from flexible container cubes that can be assembled and disassembled again in existing areas in a few days. Each so-called Power cube provides two fast-charging stations and can be combined with other cubes in various combinations.
Gallery: Audi EV Charging Hub
The hub uses second-life batteries taken from dismantled development vehicles as energy storage systems, therefore reducing costs and resources. Another advantage of this solution is it doesn’t require high-voltage power lines and expensive transformers. The charging hub’s battery-storage solution will also bring quick-charging infrastructure where the electric grid is not enough.
The pilot hub in Nuremberg has roughly 2.45 MWh of interim storage, needing only 200 kW green power connection to the already available low-voltage network. Audi says the 200 kW are enough to continually fill the storage modules, with solar panels on the roof providing up to 30 kW of green energy in addition.
As a result of this setup, customers can charge electric cars with up to 320 kW of power at six charging points, which means that a total of about 80 vehicles can be charged here per day without reaching the limits of the hub's energy supply.
As for pricing, Audi customers who have an e-tron Charging Service contract can charge for €0.31 per kilowatt hour, regardless of the rate, making the charging hub a real alternative to charging at home. Customers can book one of the six charging spots using the new reservation function in the myAudi app. The hub is also accessible for drivers of cars of other makes as long as the reservation is made through the myAudi app.
Besides the charging areas, the Audi charging hub includes a 200 square meter (2,153 sq ft) barrier-free lounge, an exchange station for electric bike batteries, an electric scooter lending service, a just-in-time delivery service for food, an upscale vending machine, and mobile car care.
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Source: Audi