An ultra-fast electric vehicle (EV) charging station that just opened in Germany could offer upcoming models of EVs a range of 100 kilometers, or around 62 miles, in a snappy five minutes. It’s the first public station with the super fast chargers in Europe. Four cars can be charged at the same time at the Ultra-E station right now at rates of 175 kilowatts (kW) – with 350 kW coming soon.
Two different ultra-fast EV charging networks are springing up across Europe right now, according to Electrek; the one that just went online is from Ultra-E, backed by partners like BMW, Audi, Renault, and the Netherlands-based Allego, which is equipping a corridor with 21 ultra-fast stations from the Netherlands to the Austrian border.
Allego COO Ulf Schulte said in a statement, “We are delighted to be setting a milestone for future elctro-mobility in Europe with this new generation of fast chargers.”
These ultra-fast chargers are located in Kleinostheim close to the A3 motorway, at the Aschaffenburg-West exit on Saaläcker Strasse. Two of the four ultra-fast connections will be offering charging at rates of 350 kW in the spring – although Electrek pointed out no EV can currently charge at that rate yet. Schulte said, “We support all the current charging cards and access apps, enabling anyone to charge their e-car at Allego and quickly be on their way.”
More Ultra-E charging stations will be popping up soon, every 150 to 200 kilometers or so – that’s around 93 to 124 miles – near motorway exits. The next one is planned for Bernau am Chiemsee in Southeast Germany.
Electrek said the other up-and-coming charging network is Ionity, a joint venture of Daimler, BMW, Ford, Volkswagen, Porsche, and Audi. They announced in late November they’ve secured site partners for 18 countries in Europe.
Source: inhabitat.com
