The car manufacturer has said the quick-charging stations will work in the same way a powerbank revives smartphones, with each station having a charging capacity of up to 360 kWh for 15 e-vehicles. They can be set up independently of a power supply, wherever it is needed throughout a city, and located via an app.
Thomas Schmall, chairman of the board of management of Volkswagen Group Components, describe the mobile charging stations as “a decisive step toward an efficient network of charging points.” They are said to be the first to offer the possibility of temporarily storing sustainably generated power, as every station can be charged specifically with solar or wind energy, which is then transmitted to the electric vehicles during charging.
“They can be set up anywhere as required – with or without connection to the power supply. This flexibility enables a completely new approach for the rapid expansion of the charging infrastructure,” Schmall continues.
“Cities can, for example, find out the most suitable places for a permanent charging point before making major investments in developing the network. In addition, it will be possible to set up a large number of charging stations temporarily – exactly when and where they are needed.”
There is also the possibility of connecting to the power supply directly, allowing the station to be charged with up to 30 kW via alternating current by means of a permanent standard grid connection.
The city of Wolfsburg is home to Volkswagen’s headquarters, who have pledged to make 50 million electric cars in a bid to make the company the global number one in e-mobility.
The automaker will begin the pilot project in early 2019 and hopes to have expanded the charging stations to other countries by 2020.