Volkswagen Group of America has opened extensive electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at a North American test facility. This next-generation charging station at its Arizona Proving Grounds will be used to help Volkswagen evaluate battery and charging performance under extreme hot-weather conditions.

Engineers will also receive real time data to see how various chargers compare.

The 50-space charging station is located at the global test facility in Maricopa, Ariz., — one of two worldwide, group-wide hot-weather test facilities — and will allow the charging of EVs in weather conditions up to 120 degrees. Twenty-five DC fast chargers, with variable power outputs from the most commonly used charger power today at 50 kilowatts (kW) all the way up to 350kW, can charge capable EVs at speeds up to 20 miles per minute.

Ten Level 2 AC chargers will also be used at the facility to simulate typical, home-based charging. The chargers will utilize charge plugs from the three standard connector types: U.S. (CCS1), Europe (CCS2) and China (GB-T). Pads will also be installed in the future to test inductive charging.  All charging equipment comes from different brands from around the world to maximize testing variability.