Outside of Europe, Audi has opened its first EV charging station. Drivers of electric vehicles across all manufacturers may now charge at four 150 kW fast-charging stations located in Tokyo, the capital of Japan. The Audi charging hub has a buffer storage unit to minimise its impact on the nearby power supply. All in all, the seventh Audi charging centre exclusively runs on renewable energy.
Customers may choose from a variety of ways to spend their charging time in the Kioicho business neighbourhood, which is home to neighbouring workplaces, retail stores, and cafés. Additionally, the hub is next to the luxury German brand Audi City Kioicho’s electric vehicle dealership in the capital of Japan.
With two charging stations and four fast-charging points with CHAdeMO charging connections, the smaller Audi charging hub in Tokyo is equipped with two charging stations. The fast-charging station is compatible with all brands of electric vehicles, much as its European equivalents. Members of the Premium Charging Alliance (PCA) will soon be able to book a charging station using the PCA app, avoiding wait periods. The goal of Audi and Porsche’s collaborative project PCA is to increase the number of fast-charging stations in Japan. Currently, more than 400 fast-charging locations are available to over 6,000 PCA members countrywide.
At the Audi charging point in Tokyo, electric vehicle owners may charge their cars up to 150 kW. According to Audi, this is a very good result considering charging power requirements vary across Europe and Japan. For instance, the Japanese electricity grid only has a voltage of 100 volts. Voltage multiplied by current is the formula for electrical power. To get high charging capabilities in Japan, a similarly large current is required. Large cable cross-sections are therefore necessary, but they are the exception rather than the rule in the nation’s historically developed power systems.
Audi is making fast charging possible at its charging hub in Tokyo through a battery storage solution. Consequently, it is promoting the expansion of the charging infrastructure while enabling higher charging speeds than the average in Japan. The charging points place low demands on the local power grid. The battery stores electricity when there is little load on the power grid – for example, at night. As the battery acts as a buffer storage for direct current, there is no need for a complex infrastructure with high-voltage supply lines and costly transformers. Audi only uses electricity from renewable sources. Green energy also powers the Audi charging hub, mainly generated directly by the photovoltaic system on the charging station’s roof.
Audi is already planning a second charging hub in Tokyo. It is set to be built in the Shiba koen district, the location of the famous Tokyo Tower. The German carmaker has already opened six Audi charging hubs in Germany (Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich and Nuremberg), Austria (Salzburg), and Switzerland (Zurich).
