Audi continues European roll out of charging hubs after successful initial pilot

Audi is pushing on with its charging ‘hubs’ after an initial pilot proved to be ‘overwhelmingly positive’.

Initially created in Nuremberg, Germany, the first hub saw some 3,100 charges take place between January and the end of April 2022, accessed via six reservable high-power charging units. Attached was a large lounge area with terrace which saw an average of 35 visitors every day. In fact, repeat customers accounted for ‘some 60 per cent’ of the charging sessions which took place.

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

The charging hub utilises ‘cubes’ which serve as an energy storage system at the Nuremberg site and these will continue to be used at all future Audi hub locations. They can be assembled or disassembled easily, and use lithium-ion batteries taken from dismantled test vehicles. It means that the hub can provide power in areas where the electric grid is not enough, with up to 320kW of charging power delivered through each point, with up to six electric cars able to charge at once.

The cubes are then topped up through a connection to the low-voltage network, while a green power contract and solar panels on the roof mean that the hub only uses energy from sustainable sources.

Based on the positive feedback, Audi will now roll out another version of the hub in Zurich. More compact than the site in Nuremberg, the Zurich hub still adopts the same modular design. After Zurich, Audi is planning the creation of additional sites, with two set to open in Berlin and Salzburg later this year. The German firm is planning to open ‘even more’ sites in Germany by the middle of 2024.