Ultra Fast Charging Stations by COBE, Fredericia Building, Electric Vehicles Denmark

Ultra Fast Charging Stations by COBE

Danish Electric Vehicles Building Project in Fredericia design by COBE Architects, Denmark

30 + 29 May 2019

Design: COBE

Location: Fredericia, Jutland, western Denmark

Ultra Fast Charging Stations

Ultra Fast Charging Stations in Denmark

In cooperation with Powered by E.ON Drive & Clever, COBE has designed a new type of charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) in Scandinavia. The stations not only promise to recharge a vehicle in just 15 minutes but also offer drivers and passengers a welcome break and the chance to recharge their own mental batteries while the car is being powered up.

The new charging station is centrally located on the E20 motorway in the Danish city of Frederi¬cia. The first of its kind, it is part of an upcoming network of 48 ultra-fast EV charging stations along Scandinavian highways. In the future, electricity will replace fossil fuels in our vehicles. However, while it currently takes around five minutes to fill up the gas tank, recharging an EV is a much more time-consuming process. In our busy everyday lives, every minute counts. Thus, future charging stations should not only optimize the car’s charging time but also offer a meaningful mental break for people to rejuvenate themselves while on the move.

A mental break in a green oasis
COBE’s design, which won the infrastructure award of the 2018 Danish Building Awards for its groundbreaking architecture, revolves around a green rethink of the traditional gas station. The new ultra-fast charging stations, currently being installed, are a place where drivers can quickly and efficiently recharge their vehicle and themselves.

“Electric vehicles are the way of the future. With our design we offer EV drivers a time-out and an opportunity to mentally recharge in a green oasis. The energy and the technology are green, so we wanted the architecture, the materials and the concept to reflect that. So, we designed a charging station in sustainable materials placed in a clean, calm setting with trees and plantings that offer people a dose of mindfulness on the highway,” says Dan Stubbergaard, architect and founder of COBE.

The charging stations consist of a series of structural “trees”. They feature with canopies much like the crowns of trees that filters and offers shade and protection from the elements while defin¬ing a green setting and a calming atmosphere. A wild contrast to a traditional gas station where lines of vehicles and the smells of gas fumes and car exhaust are the norm.

Sustainable design
Thanks to a modular design concept the stations are scalable, so a single “tree” can easily become a entire “grove” depending on the need. The stations are constructed in certified wood and concrete, topped by solar panels and surrounded by actual trees, grass and other plantings selected in cooperation with the Danish Society for Nature Conservation with the aim of enhan¬cing biodiversity around the station. All components of the construction can be broken down into usable and recyclable materials and the choice of wood as a building material further emphasizes the building’s sustainable design.

A Zen feel
The first of the ultra-fast charging stations, which opens today, offers a relaxed experience in nature with a capacity of recharging four EVs simultaneousley. The Fredericia charging station is constructed as a grove of 12 “trees” with a total crown of 400-m2, rendered in a mix of open and closed roof panels. The goal is for both the new and the coming charging stations to offer users a pleasant, restful and Zen-like feel that may even, hopefully, make the roads safer.

In the longer term, ultra-fast charging stations can also help make it more attractive to invest in EVs and thus promote the transition from fossil fuels to more green, more energy-efficient and CO2-neutral transportation both in Denmark and abroad.

Photography: Rasmus Hjortshøj – COAST

19 Jan 2018

Ultra Fast Danish Electric Vehicle Charging Stations by COBE

New charging stations for electric vehicles in Denmark

19th January 2018 – In cooperation with the Danish company CLEVER, which supplies charging solutions for electric vehicles, Danish architects COBE is presenting its design for a modular system of ultra-fast charging stations.

The first of the new charging stations opens in Fredericia, Denmark, in summer 2018. The idea is to let drivers take a meaningful break during their journey.

In future, electricity will replace petrol and diesel as the fuel for our cars. However, while it takes approx. five minutes to fill up your car with petrol, charging an electric vehicle today is a more time-consuming exercise which can easily take 45 minutes. People today lead busy lives, and every minute counts. Therefore, the charging station of the future should not only minimize the charging time, but also create a meaningful break for the driver.

COBE’s design is based on a green rethink of the conventional petrol station. The new ultra-fast charging stations will not just be places where you efficiently can charge your car, but where you can also recharge your own batteries.

“Electric vehicles are the future. In our design, we want to offer drivers a much-needed and meaningful break in a green oasis. The energy and the technology are green, and we want the architecture, the materials and the concept to be green as well. Therefore, we’ve designed a sculptural charging station which can either stand alone or be incorporated with other facilities,” says Dan Stubbergaard, Creative Director and Founder of COBE.

The charging stations thus take the form of a series of structural ‘trees’, with ‘crowns’ that filter light and shade to create a green environment with a calming atmosphere. The modular approach means that the design is scalable, and that one ‘tree’ can easily be multiplied to become a ‘forest’ depending on the required capacity. The ‘trees’ are made from wood and concrete with solar cells on top, with real trees, grass and low shrubs planted within and around the charging station.

First charging station opens in Fredericia, Denmark this year The first of a string of ultra-fast charging stations is opening in Fredericia, Denmark, next to the E45 motorway in summer 2018. In a relaxed and natural environment, the first ultra-fast charging station will allow four electric vehicles to recharge at the same time. The charging station in Fredericia will comprise 12 ‘trees’ and a 400-square-metre ‘crown’, with a combination of open and closed roof panels. The aim is for the new charging station in Fredericia to be an evocative and Zen-like experience.

“Time is precious, and we want to ensure that the time that people spend at our charging stations is a meaningful break for them. With the new stations, we are creating a space where, in addition to charging your car, you will also be able to recharge your own mental and physical batteries. In the 20 minutes that it usually takes to charge a car, you will be able to relax and have some fresh air, enjoy a cup of coffee, make phone calls or use some of the digital options available,” says Marie Kristine Schmidt, CXO at CLEVER.

Modular system of ultra-fast charging stations in Fredericia, Denmark:

Over the next couple of years, a total of eight charging stations will be built in Denmark, and a further 40 in Sweden and Norway. And breaks in the stylised forest will become even shorter once the stations are upgraded from 150 to 350 kW.

Modular ultra-fast charging stations in Fredericia, Jylland:

Ultra Fast Charging Stations by COBE – Building Information

Location: Fredericia, Denmark
Client: CLEVER
Architects: COBE
Engineers: Arup
Programme: Charging stations for electric vehicles
Size: Modular concept which can be tailored to requirements
Status: First charging station opens in Fredericia in mid-2018
Images: COBE

Modular electric charging stations in Fredericia:

list of 8 Best Charging Station for Multiple Devices

CLEVER

CLEVER was founded in 2009, and is today owned by the energy groups SEAS-NVE and NRGi. Since it was established, CLEVER has paved the way for tomorrow’s sustainable mobility, and connected northern European cities by establishing a coherent ultra-fast charging network in Denmark, Sweden and northern Germany.

CLEVER is known for its partnerships in the automotive industry and the development of innovative, customer-focused charging solutions, such as CLEVER Unlimited. Its customer-oriented approach to products is reflected not only in the development of new and groundbreaking products, but also in its choice of high-quality charging sites and stations which are easy to use. CLEVER’s entire focus is on electric vehicles with the vision of accelerating tomorrow’s sustainable mobility – and of inspiring everyone to switch to electric. www.clever.dk

Images: COBE

Ultra Fast Charging Stations in Fredericia images / information from Architects COBE

COBE

Location: Fredericia, Denmark

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