Danish architecture office COBE, founded in Copenhagen in 2006, presents its design for a modular system of ultra-fast charging stations, in cooperation with the Danish company Clever.

In future, electricity will replace petrol and diesel as the fuel for our cars. However, while it takes approximately 5 minutes to fill up your car with petrol, charging an electric vehicle today is a more time-consuming exercise, which can easily take 45 minutes. People today lead busy lives. Therefore, the charging station of the future should not only minimize the charging time, but also create a break for the driver.

The charging stations take the form of a series of structural “trees”, with “crowns” that filter light and shade to create a green environment with a calming atmosphere. The modular ap­proach means that the design is scalable, and that one “tree” can easily be multiplied to become a “forest” depending on the required capacity. The “trees” are made from wood and concrete, with solar cells on top, and real trees, grass and low shrubs planted within and around the charging station.

The first station will be completed in Fredericia, Denmark, in 2018. It will allow four electric vehicles to recharge at the same time. The station will comprise 12 “trees” and a 400 sq.metres “crown”, with a combination of open and closed roof panels.

Text description provided by the architects.

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Charging station for electric vehicles

Location: Fredericia, Denmark

Programme: Charging station for electric vehicles

Superficie: 400 sq.metres of covered spaces, for 4 charging stations

Client: Clever

Architects: COBE ; Engineering : Arup

Status: Under construction, opens mid-2018