Why energy storage is key to the roll-out of rapid EV chargers

The deployment of new rapid electric vehicle chargers is something that is consistently hindered by the lack of capacity on a local electrical grid. This is something that Ofcom says that it’s addressing through investment in grid upgrades, but Audi may have an even more interesting solution. 

Instead of relying on high-voltage lines connected directly to an electrical grid, Audi is letting energy storage take the strain. Its new concept for an EV charging hub will see it deploy 2.45 MWh of energy storage to power its electric vehicle chargers. The theory is that the energy storage will be charged during off-peak hours at night, while distributing electricity to cars that need charging during the day. 

In order to prevent the batteries from running out of power during the day, Audi says that it will also install solar panels at its concept charging hubs, which will keep the battery topped up. That means this will be one of the cleanest ways to charge an electric vehicle while on the go. 

What’s more,  the energy storage itself will be made from used electric vehicle batteries. That answers the age-old question on what happens to the lithium-ion batteries after they’re no longer useful in electric vehicles. 

This concept is proof that energy storage could have a big role to play in our future energy grid, and could really help get us ready for the onslaught of electric vehicles. It could also help with speeding up the roll-out of electric vehicle chargers, as Audi says that its concept charging hubs reduce the planning time required and the costs while also saving resources.