Volkswagen Creates Charging Station Made with Used EV Batteries

By Saur News Bureau/ Updated On Mon, Jul 25th, 2022

Highlights :

The charging station is opened in Saxony and the container is composed of 96 cell modules taken from the all-electric VW ID.3 and ID.4 vehicles that are usually crushed rather than sold.
The advantage is that fast-charging infrastructure can be built nearly anywhere, even in places with a low-capacity grid connection.

Volkswagen has said that it has commissioned its first battery energy storage facility in Germany with reused modules from the pre-production of the Volkswagen ID.3 and ID.4. This has come at a time when the electric vehicle charging infrastructure has become central to the growth of the EV sector across the globe and countries, including the USA, face challenges due to the rising cost of installing the charging infra.

Volkswagen is among the select entities working on fast-charging infrastructure that relies on a power storage container (PSC). Its pilot station is opened in Saxony and the container is composed of 96 cell modules taken from the all-electric VW ID.3 and ID.4 vehicles that are usually crushed rather than sold. The net capacity of the facility is 570 kWh.

Karen Kutzner, Managing Director for Finance and Controlling, Volkswagen Sachsen, said, “With the power storage container, Volkswagen Sachsen is demonstrating a practical, cost-effective and useful case to enable cell modules at the end of their service lives to have a second life.”

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The Volkswagen EV charging hub has four connectors and each connector provides a charging speed of 150 KW. The automaker said that each 150 KW charger can be divided into two connectors of 75 KW. This novelty can allow up to eight electric cars to be charged at once. The energy in the system comes from solar panels and the grid.

Kutzner further held, “The advantage is that fast-charging infrastructure can be built nearly anywhere, even in places with a low-capacity grid connection.”

The automaker held that this type of station is also cost-effective and doesn’t require a new transformer station. In fact, other automakers like Audi have also employed a similar concept at some of its new luxury charging hubs. Kutzner added, “As a large battery storage unit, the PSC offers a cost-effective alternative to a transformer station. It enables large quantities of energy to be provided in a short time without overburdening the electricity grid. Another advantage is that the temporary storage of energy allows for high basic costs that would otherwise be incurred during standby operation, even when no vehicles are charging, to be avoided.”