Audi opens charging hub in Tokyo

Audi has opened its first own fast-charging location outside Europe. In Japan's capital Tokyo, electric cars of all brands can now be charged at four fast-charging points with up to 150 kilowatts each.

Thanks to a buffer storage system, the location only places low demands on the local power grid – Audi already uses used batteries from development vehicles as stationary storage at the existing charging hubs in Europe. In Japan, Audi’s small charging park – as well as the vehicles sold there – uses the CHAdeMO charging standard and not the combined charging system commonly used in Europe.

In Japan, the buffer storage is not only a pleasant relief for the power grid, but also makes charging with 4×150 kW possible in the first place. Compared to the charging capacities in Europe, 150 kW doesn’t sound like much (Audi itself equips its charging hubs with 320 kW). For Japan, however, it is a “peak value”, as Audi explains with regard to the conditions. “The voltage in the Japanese power grid is only 100 volts. The electrical power is calculated from the product of voltage and current. In order to achieve high charging power in Japan, the current must be correspondingly high. This in turn requires large cable cross-sections, which are the exception rather than the rule in historically evolved power grids,” the press release states.

Tokyo, or more precisely the location in the Kioicho business district, is now home to the seventh Audi Charging Hub. The first location in Nuremberg went into operation in December 2021, the sixth in Frankfurt in March 2024. With four charging points, it is the compact version of the Audi Charging Hub – with fewer charging points and no lounge. However, this is not necessary in Kioicho, as there are shopping facilities and cafés in the district, and the charging park is located directly next to ‘Audi City Kioicho’, a showroom for electric vehicles from the German brand in the Japanese capital.

As in Europe, the Audi Charging Hubs are open to electric cars of all brands – with this concept, Audi wants to serve the target group that does not have the opportunity to charge their car at home at their own charging station in an urban environment. However, there are advantages for customers of the Premium Charging Alliance (PCA): in future, they will be able to reserve a charging point via an app and avoid waiting times. PCA is a joint project between Audi and Porsche, which aims to expand the fast-charging network in Japan. There are currently around 6,000 PCA members and more than 400 fast-charging points across the country.

A second Audi charging hub is already being planned in Tokyo: the fast-charging station is to be built in the Shibakoen district, where the famous Tokyo Tower is located. “We want to help address concerns about electric vehicles in urban areas. Customers can use the charging time effectively by taking a break or looking at the new Audi models in the showroom,” says Matthias Schepers, Audi Japan Brand Director.

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