Volkswagen and Shell Germany have launched the first battery-boosted charging station at a Shell petrol station in Göttingen. The Flexpole charging columns from Volkswagen’s energy brand Elli can deliver up to 150 kW with only a low-voltage grid connection, thanks to the integrated battery backup. This approach eliminates the need for a medium voltage connection via a transformer station, reducing construction costs and permitting delays from grid operators.
The Flexpole column’s peak power of 150 kW is buffered from the integrated battery, which can then be recharged by low voltage. This allows up to 160 km of range to be charged within 10 minutes, depending on the vehicle. Providers like ADS-TEC Energy and Numbat have also specialized in this charging technology. Numbat will install battery-supported HPC at 70 Shell petrol stations.
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Shell and Volkswagen plan to gradually roll out the Flexpoles in Germany and other European countries after successful test operations. The German government aims to have at least one million charge points by 2030. According to the Federal Network Agency, the number of charging stations rose last year by around 21,000 to over 80,000, with 67,000 being standard charging points and 13,000 fast charging points.
Shell has been investing in e-mobility for a few years, leveraging its location advantage. In addition to buying NewMotion, which has since been renamed Shell Recharge Solutions, the company has started HPC stations at its service stations and purchased the Berlin-based startup ubitricity, which enables lamppost charging. Shell aims to install over 500,000 charging points by 2025 and 2,500,000 by 2030 worldwide.
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The partnership between Volkswagen and Shell will make an important contribution to the necessary expansion of the charging infrastructure in locations where it would be otherwise difficult for fast charging. The rapid expansion of the charging infrastructure is a prerequisite for the ramp-up of e-mobility. As such, the two companies are pleased to have found strong partners in each other to expand the charging network in Germany and across Europe.
