logo
Latest News
Follow
Sunday / 10 November 2024
HomeNewsAudi electric car customers in South Africa can now get a “world-first” solar-powered home charger

Audi electric car customers in South Africa can now get a “world-first” solar-powered home charger

Audi Centre Centurion has introduced a “world-first home-based solar charging solution” for its e-tron electric vehicle (EV) customers, which the dealership first unveiled on 22 August.

“The new solution uses smart charging solar technologies from Germany’s SMA Solar Technology with local installation support by their South African partners, ANH Technologies,” said Peter Preusse, Audi Centre Centurion’s Managing Director.

The commercial launch of the solar home charger coincides with the dealership’s own switch to solar charging for its e-tron fleet.

Details

SMA Solar Technology’s EV charging station, like the ones at Audi Center Centurion, uses radio frequency ID (RFID) cards for touchless authentication and initiation of charging.

The system also supports two modes of operation, Red fast-charging for “the most rapid battery charge possible” and Green eco-charging that “optimises battery health and solar energy over a longer charging period,” said the company.

The charging infrastructure that will be installed at Audi Centre Centurion customers’ homes will offer a peak power delivery of 7.4kW, almost twice the maximum output of conventional wallbox chargers, said the dealership.

The system connects to a smartphone app that offers real-time charging reports and allows the owner to switch between several charging modes.

Included in the home-based charging setup are the following:

  • 3-phase 22kW EV charger
  • 10kWh residential battery for energy storage
  • SMA Sunny Tripower Smart Energy hybrid inverter
  • SMA Home Manager that allows for power management and monitoring through the SMA App

“The home-charging system has been designed to offer the most efficient and fuss-free charging environment,” said Andreas Wagner, CEO of ANH Technologies.

“We have also designed it to be completely future proof, which means that you can easily upgrade the system to add more electric vehicles or even your entire home to the solar charging solution.”

Audi Centre Centurion transformation process

Following “many months of planning and preparation to make sure that it is perfectly compatible with our Audi e-tron range and with the various use cases and operating demands of our e-tron customer,” Audi Centre Centurion installed an in-house solar charging station for its own EV fleet.

The transformation to solar energy started with a comprehensive energy audit by ANH technologies which consisted of the installation of an SMA Data Manager, SMA Energy Meter, and a link to SMA’s proprietary Sunny Portal monitoring system.

Thereafter, the companies developed a solar charging system for Audi Centre Centurion that supports a 50kW peak load, an intelligent energy management system that limits the power drawn from the municipal grid, and a smart charging station that powers up two EVs simultaneously with solar energy alone.


Audi Centre Centurion solar home charger


Show comments