- The “Audi Charging Hub”: A modern fast charging station with a lounge area to be built at exhibition grounds in Nuremberg
- Sustainable mobility: Charging station with Second Life battery storage to cover peak demand
- Commissioning scheduled for end of November 2021
Breaking ground and plugging in for a forward-looking project at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre: Audi and NürnbergMesse have launched construction together on the world’s first “Audi Charging Hub”. Among those in attendance for the ground-breaking at the exhibition grounds were Albert Füracker, Landtag Member, Bavarian Finance Minister and NürnbergMesse Supervisory Board Chairman; Nuremberg Mayor Marcus König; Audi Charging Hub Project Manager Ralph Hollmig; and NürnbergMesse Group CEO Dr Roland Fleck.
“Climate protection is one of the Bavarian state government’s top priorities. This is where every part of society must pull in the same direction. For an extensive state like Bavaria, sustainable mobility is simply indispensable. Which is why I’m so pleased that AUDI AG and NürnbergMesse are cooperating on this pilot project for the electric charging stations of the future. This cooperation will carry electromobility a significant step ahead”, Minister Füracker applauded.
The project at the Nuremberg pilot site is a part of Audi’s electromobility campaign. “We’re very pleased at our one-two play with Audi. Together we’re blazing a trail for decarbonising the mobility structure. This forward-looking project highlights once again both companies’ standing as innovation leaders. These additional fast charging stations will offer our exhibitors and visitors still more added value at our exhibition centre,” said Dr Fleck. The structure, which will rise in the northern part of the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre by the end of November, will have six reservable high-power charging points and a directly adjacent lounge area.
“The charging infrastructure is a factor for success – in fact the backbone – of the transition to electromobility. We want the Audi Charging Hub not just to offer a solution for future peak demand, but to make recharging a premium experience. Our lounge will offer an area for taking a break that meets premium expectations, with a space and ambience that delivers added value. At the same time, our flexible, high-performance fleet of HPC chargers with reservable pillars will make only minor demands on the local power grid, and will employ a sustainable buffer storage system with Second Life batteries”, says Audi project manager Hollmig.
For the City of Nuremberg, the charging station provides an additional asset for electromobility. “The City is very pleased to be the first location in Germany and Europe for this fast charging hub, and to see that NürnbergMesse has been chosen for the site. We want to thank Audi for that distinction. We are supporting the project with a smooth and speedy permit process. Such a high power charging hub on one of the city’s most important traffic arteries is an important component for the expanding recharging infrastructure in Nuremberg. Electric vehicles will play a key role in future mobility, especially in urban environments. As the city’s mayor, expanding environmentally friendly mobility is particularly important to me. So I’m very glad that this pilot installation will be built in Nuremberg”, said Mayor König.
To the north of Hall 12 at the Exhibition Centre on Münchener Strasse, a unique project for the charging infrastructure of the future will arise, the new Audi Charging Hub. The carmaker intends this pilot site to be a practical trial run for its forward-looking concept. The building, some 400 square metres in area, will offer an attractive ambience, six charging stations for electric vehicles, and a lounge on the upper floor. Thus users of the hub can take advantage of a special range of options for services and relaxation while their electric car recharges.
“NürnbergMesse customers will also benefit from the additional fast charging points, with a charging capacity of up to 300 kW, offered by Audi’s facility. Those customers are already able to make use of the 12 existing electric charging pillars”, said NürnbergMesse Joint CEO Peter Ottmann.
The Audi Charging Hub was quickly planned and contracted among partners AUDI AG, NürnbergMesse and the City of Nuremberg. The building permit was granted by the city’s planning office at the end of August, and the first electric vehicles should be able to pull up and recharge as early as the end of November.