E.ON and Volkswagen to make fast charging possible

E.ON and Volkswagen join forces to make ultra-fast charging simpler, less expensive and possible everywhere – compared to standard solutions.

One of the challenges in adding fast electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to a network is that it's expensive. Another is that it can place a strain on the local power grid. The Volkswagen Group Components and E.ON have a solution to both of those challenges – an integration of a battery system.

E.ON and Volkswagen Group Components are giving a new impetus with the prototype of a flexible ultra-fast charging station that was presented in Essen at the beginning of the year. By integrating a battery system directly into the station, E.ON and VW made it possible to install ultra-fast charging stations almost anywhere and at significantly lower cost – without civil engineering or medium voltage connection.

The stations are installed according to the plug & play principle – simply put them down, connect them to the existing grid and configure them remotely. The quick charging system can charge EVs with up to 150 kilowatts of power, thus providing an additional range of around 200 kilometers on average in just 15 minutes. To ensure that the battery installed in the charging station always has sufficient capacity, it is permanently fed by a conventional 16 to 63 ampere power connection. A combination of the battery and conventional power supply make the fast charging possible, without placing strain on the local grid.

The government targets one million EVs on German roads by 2022 and says at last seven million were needed to hit 2030 targets. The new development by E.ON and VW paves the way for a larger number of ultra-fast charging points to be installed and thus makes a contribution in reaching sustainability targets. 

E.ON will operate the rapid chargers exclusively with green electricity. Updates, remote maintenance and billing of the charging points will be carried out via E.ON's central software platform. The technology meets all the requirements for financial support under both the EU and the German directive and will comply with the requirements of calibration law.

The business model was developed jointly by E.ON and Volkswagen Group Components. The hardware component is an innovation of the automotive company combined with E.ON's operator system and market knowledge. Volkswagen Group Components will start series production later this year. In the second half of the year, E.ON will intensively test the new charging points at six motorway filling stations and then launch them on the German market under the name E.ON Drive Booster.

E.ON Board of Management member Karsten Wildberger says that “E.ON made progress in electromobility years ago and has brought its own ultra-fast filling stations to the motorways of Europe. From the very beginning, we have been concerned with the wishes and problems of our customers and are now taking the next step towards the future with Volkswagen Group Components. By joining forces, we can now offer our customers flexible ultra-fast charging systems that are faster, simpler and cheaper than conventional solutions.”

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