One of the keys to getting electric vehicles used widely has to do with infrastructure. If potential electric vehicle owners can’t charge their cars regularly while on the road, they’re unlikely to become actual electric vehicle owners. But there’s another question that follows logically from that: what, exactly, do you do to kill time while your car, truck or crossover is recharged?
If you’re driving an Audi, the answer to that question might be: sit in a very comfortable space. The automaker recently unveiled a design for a lounge where drivers can hang out while their vehicles recharge. As Autoblog notes in its report on the concept, the design evokes airport lounges for frequent flyers — a comfortable space where you can pass the time in relative luxury.
As Zac Palmer notes in the article, Audi’s plan to use high-speed chargers means you wouldn’t be spending that much time there. “[Y]ou’d be able to charge your new E-Tron GT from 5%-80% in about 23 minutes, so long as you’re getting the maximum charging speed capacity of 270 kW,” Palmer writes.
Drivers would be able to reserve time at the charging hub; the hubs themselves would also be designed for easy transportation and installation. Audi notes in their announcement that a pilot project will “provide a specific outlook” in the second half of 2021.
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