Germany's first comprehensive fast charging network

Feneberg and cleantech company Numbat are joining forces to offer supermarket customers the best charging option for EVs in the future. They are jointly building the necessary infrastructure for this and, for the first time, a comprehensive offer of public fast charging stations will be created across a rural region in 2022.

As a sustainable supermarket chain, we are increasingly confronted with the challenge of offering our customers an opportunity to fast charge their EV while shopping,” says Nico Fischer, Head of Construction, Building and Energy Management at Feneberg. “What matters most to our customers is fast charging, but for us, of course, it also has to be economically viable. The costs for installation, acquisition and operation, for example, are simply too high with the current models.”

In fact, electromobility poses major challenges for companies, because as a look at the market shows, while the registration of EVs is increasing rapidly, the installation of necessary charging stations, especially so-called fast charging stations or HPC (High-Power Charger), has hardly made any progress. The main reason for this is the difficulty of the connection to the electricity grid and the high acquisition and installation costs. The startup is leading the way with typical Allgäu pioneering spirit and, by combining two technologies, is not only able to solve these problems, but also to establish Germany’s first fast charging network with an average of one fast charging station every 10 km.

“With Numbat, we have now found a way to implement the topic of ultra-fast charging stations as an offer for our customers on the one hand, and on the other hand, thanks to the integrated battery storage, we are able to store the PV electricity from our own solar systems and save electricity through the integrated energy management system. In this way, we manage to fully charge up to 2000 cars a year with our self-generated electricity in 10–15 minutes per car. In addition, we have found a partner who cares as much about sustainability as we do at Feneberg,” says Fischer. The innovative battery technology has patented, sustainable properties that make an important contribution to the energy transition. Installation at the locations is planned for the third quarter of 2022, and preparations for this are already underway.

The founders of Numbat, Maximilian Wegener, PhD and Martin Schall, see their ideas confirmed on the market. “Our goal is to prove that fast charging stations can not only be built at highways or hubs, but anywhere through the conjunction of fast charging station and battery storage in combination with our technology. Since our Numbats do not need to be connected to the medium voltage grid, we avoid interventions in the infrastructure and large construction measures such as transformer stations. We are pleased to take on a certain pioneering role together with Feneberg and are convinced that our model will be relevant for the whole of Germany, since more rural regions in particular are often neglected when it comes to fast charging.”

One thing the young startup has already proven: As of today, this cooperation is building the most comprehensive fast charging network in Germany.