Volkswagen Group Components, E.ON to establish ultra-fast EV charging network

Volkswagen Group Components and Germany-headquartered E.ON are working together on a prototype flexible ultra-fast charging station that will be presented in Essen, Germany. The partners say establishment of a dense public network of ultra-fast e-vehicle charging stations can be realised much faster than previously assumed.

The project will look at integrating a battery system, which will make it possible to install ultra-fast charging stations almost anywhere and at a significantly lower cost without civil engineering or mains connection.

According to E.ON and Volkswagen Group Components, the new technology paves the way for a larger number of ultra-fast charging points to be installed where they are needed. E.ON is seeing demand for this solution from municipal utilities and local authorities as well as from filling stations and service areas. In addition, the offer is tailored to the electrification of retail parking lots and logistics companies such as parcel services.

The stations are installed according to the plug & play principle – simply put them down, connect them and configure them online. The quick charging system can charge two e-cars with up to 150 kilowatts of power at the same time, which is said to provide an additional range of around 200km 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.

E.ON will operate the rapid chargers exclusively with green electricity, and will also be responsible for the updates, remote maintenance and billing of the charging points through its central software platform. The technology meets all the requirements for financial support under both the EU and the German directive and complies with the requirements of calibration law.

Thomas Schmall, chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Group Components: "The flexible ultra-fast charging station developed by us is an important component for a comprehensive network of charging points. At the same time, its innovative approach to quick and easy installation enables us to meet the needs of our customers. The cooperation with E.ON is an important step towards integrating this technology into the charging infrastructure quickly and in line with demand."

Karsten Wildberger, Board of Management member E.ON: "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.”

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 proven operator system and market knowledge. Volkswagen Group Components will start series production 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.