Audi launches charging park with grid simulator
As the name suggests, the grid simulator can simulate different power grids so that charging with 110 or 230 volts, with 50 or 60-hertz grid frequency can be tested at one location. Audi claims to be one of the first car manufacturers to have such a variably adjustable simulator. It means that charging stations from non-EU countries can be operated with the necessary voltage and grid form. “The results are incorporated directly into the research and development of the vehicles. This means that customers always benefit from the best charging experience, no matter where they are in the world,” Audi wrote in an accompanying press release.
The device itself is a special development for which Audi cooperated with Bosch Rexroth – the partner company Schmidbaur was also on board for the installation. Audi states that the simulator has an output of 500 kW. The new system provides voltages ranging from 100 to 540 volts and frequencies from 40 to 65 hertz. It supports single-phase, two-phase and three-phase grids as well as split-phase operation. The grid simulator installed in a container can then be combined with different charging stations.
“With the grid simulator, we can test whether our models can successfully charge with charging stations in the US or China, for example,” explains project manager Daniel Ettinger. With the new system, the engineers at the Ingolstadt plant are to learn exactly how the electric car interacts with the charging station – in order to use this knowledge to “adapt vehicle software even better to the charging stations commonly used worldwide and to further improve the charging performance of the Audi models.” Previously, this had to be trialled with extensive tests abroad. These are now to be reduced, which should save time and money – but Audi is not giving a figure.
0 Comments