Successful charging pilot

What started as a trial scheme by Audi to test the popularity of a specially designed charging hub has proved a tremendous success after the completion of an initial trial period. The Audi charging hub – the first such ‘charging station’ of its type – was trialled in Nuremberg from late December last year through until the end of April this year to gauge interest and effectiveness from the motoring public, and the initial response has been overwhelmingly positive. So much so that the concept will be expanded to include a new centre to be opened in Switzerland in the second half of the year, followed by more sites in Salzburg and Berlin.

In 2023 and 2024 more of the Audi charging hubs will be opened in major metropolitan centres across Germany with the brand now actively looking for appropriate sites and potential partners to help expand the network over the coming years.

During the pilot phase, the Nuremberg charging hub saw some 3100 charges from the six reservable high-power charging points. In addition, an average of 35 customers visited the centre each day, making use of the lounge and working areas as well as the catering and concierge service.

“The numbers and positive customer feedback demonstrate that our concept of offering flexible, premium quick-charging infrastructure in urban spaces was spot on,” says Audi charging hub project manager Ralph Hollmig.

The cubes which make up the charging hubs serve as the energy storage system in Nuremberg and will be used at all future Audi charging hub stations. These flexible cube-shaped containers can be assembled and disassembled quickly at existing sites, with power stored in recycled lithium-ion batteries which are second-life batteries taken from dismantled test vehicles. This system means the Audi charging hub’s battery-storage solution brings sustainable quick-charging infrastructure where the electric grid is not enough, operating six HPC charging points with up to 320kW.

With around 2.45 MWh of interim storage, the entire Nuremberg site only required a 200kW connection to the low-voltage network to continuously fill the storage modules, allowing up to six electric cars to charge at any one time with approximately one megawatt of power. Add to this the fact that there is a green power contract in place, and the Audi charging hub only uses energy from sustainable resources, while solar panels on the roof provide up to 30kW of additional green energy.

The new Audi charging hub to be opened later this year in Zurich is smaller and more compact than the pilot centre in Nuremberg, but is also based on the same modular design that enables the construction of a variously sized charging hub with or without a lounge. “The system’s modular design lets us react flexibly to on-site conditions,” explains Hollmig.

The tighter space requirements tailored to suit urban locations are the perfect fit for Zurich’s banking and insurance district and will allow the charging hubs to be tailored to perfectly suit each additional site as the concept is rolled out over the next two years.