“Together with our partners in the CharIn initiative, we are fully focusing on quick charging stations that are based on the CCS standard. This method is powerful, thoroughly developed and convenient,” said Ricky Hudi, Head of Development for Electrics/Electronics at AUDI AG, at the “Electronics in Vehicles” (ELIV) congress held in Baden-Baden.
The Combined Charging System (CCS) makes it possible to charge electric cars with alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) via a standardized charging interface known as the Combo plug. The corresponding technology is already on board the Audi R8 e-tron – an electrically powered high-performance sports car – and in the Audi e-tron quattro concept car. In just 30 minutes, the battery of the Audi e-tron quattro concept can be charged with enough electricity for a range of more than 400 km (248.5 mi). When the battery is fully charged, it has a range of over 500 km (310.7 mi).
At the ELIV Congress in Baden-Baden, Audi is presenting the first results together with its CharIN partners: equipment and automobiles that are suitable for charging with up to 150 kW. The founding members of CharIN include Audi, BMW, Daimler, Opel, Porsche and Volkswagen, TÜV SÜD and two manufacturers of industrial plugs: Mennekes and PhoenixContact.
The official charging solution of the European Union, which is based on the international CCS standard, is already in force today and will be fully implemented by 2017.