The German-based discount supermarket chain Aldi, in partnership with electric utility RWE, opened a public DC charging station at a store in Dusseldorf in May. Charging is free, and energy is generated from solar panels installed on the building.

The new installation uses the QC20 charging station from Portuguese electrical equipment manufacturer Efacec. The QC20 is a compact unit that delivers “semi-fast charging” at 20 kW. It features multi-standard capability, and can be integrated directly into any network.

The Dusseldorf station is the first of 50 locations that Aldi plans to install within the month in German cities including Frankfurt, Cologne, Munich and Stuttgart.

“Sustainability and climate change affect us all. With the Fill up on Sun project, we want to inspire our customers to choose an environmentally friendly form of mobility,” explains Florian Kempf, Head of Energy Management at Aldi Süd. “The energy is produced by solar PV systems on the store roof and delivered directly to the car park below for free. There is no better way to put the energy revolution into practice than this.”

Sources: Efacec, RWE