ADS-TEC Energy’s ChargePost wins Red Dot Design

This success is due to ChargePost’s clean design and its ability to do more than just charging.

ChargePost was developed by storage pioneer ADS-TEC Energy and is manufactured in-house in Germany. It provides ultra-fast charging of EVs within minutes, even with power-limited grid connections.

With numerous submissions from companies and design studios from all over the world, the international jury was impressed by ChargePost’s outstanding quality and design.

"The ChargePost fast charging station impresses with its stringent design as well as its performance and also offers a high-quality advertising space," said the jury in its statement. The Red Dot Design Award has been honouring the best products each year since 1955.

The Red Dot Award is the third award that ADS-TEC Energy has received, following the Green Product Award and the German Innovation Award. The company's unique charging technology, the ChargeBox, was also nominated for the German Future Prize in 2022 and included in the ‘Circle of Excellence’.

Hundreds of ChargePosts have in use across Europe. With its integrated battery storage system, ChargePost stores energy from the power-limited low-voltage grid for high-power charging current as required. This battery technology makes it possible to charge up to 300kW, even when the power connection is many times lower. ChargePost has demonstrated that it can fast charge dozens of vehicles every day at busy locations and reach charging volumes of more than one megawatt per day. This eliminates the need for the expensive, time-consuming, and resource-intensive grid expansion that is required for conventional fast-charging stations. While conventional fast chargers are only used to sell electricity, ChargePost’s features offer charging infrastructure operators additional revenue streams.

For example, using self-generated electricity from a PV system cuts energy procurement costs, bucking the trend of rising grid charges. Another option is to use the bidirectional battery in the ChargePost to cap peak loads at a location or feed power back into the grid.

Another option in the future will be to connect several charging stations to form a so-called virtual power plant providing energy flexibility and allowing operators to trade energy on the power exchange and take advantage of volatile electricity pricing.

ADS-TEC Energy is constantly enhancing its platform: at the Power2Drive Europe trade fair, the company recently launched an optional cable suspension, a canopy, and longer charging cables that deliver improved charging performance for the 400-volt vehicle class. It increases the charging performance from the previous 200A to a maximum of 400A with a constant current of 375A. These features boost sustainable and brings charging within minutes to places where it would otherwise not be possible, for example in rural areas far away from highways and charging parks or in city centres.