Volkswagen has built its Arizona test grounds for new cars in warm climates. Now, the automaker is also subduing Arizona’s heat charging stations.
A newly added 50-seat cargo site to the maricopa, Arizona facility, VW said in a press release Wednesday. This will allow electric cars to recharge at temperatures up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, the car manufacturer said.
It includes 25 DC fast charging stations with a variable force ranging from 50 kw to 350 kw, as well as 10 level 2 AC charging stations.
The stations come with catches from 3 main markets: The United States (CCS1), Europe (CCS2) and China (GB-T). VW also used a combination of load devices from other global brands to maximize verification variability. Wireless inductive charging pads will be added in the future, VW said.
Built at a cost of $9 million, the cargo site includes 16 awning parking spaces, which can be implemented to simulate shaded parking. Tests are monitored from on-site construction to Arizona heat personnel, and the site has a battery tracking formula to stumble upon possible overheating.
Charging stations on Volkswagen Arizona test grounds
The site was built in partnership with Electrify America, the VW affiliate created as part of the automaker’s diesel-emissions cheating settlement to build charging infrastructure. Work was completed in February 2020, but certification was just completed this month, VW said.
Automakers have conducted load tests in cold climates, but the weather presents a distinct set of problems.
Early Nissan Leaf owners discovered that the car’s air-cooled battery was poorly supplied for Arizona temperatures, in the same climate as the VW Control Court.