GOFAST installs EV charging stations at Würenlos, Switzerland

Würenlos shopping rest stop has been fully refurbished and is now the perfect place for electric car drivers, too. From now on, the service station will provide 20 charging stations that can cater to all types of electric cars.

Each year, 80 million people stop off at Würenlos shopping rest stop, which is located on the A1 between Dietikon and Baden. That is 40 million more than the number of annual visitors to Times Square in New York. The service station is well aware of this, which is why it was renovated and refurbished over several months to meet the future needs of its customers. As well as additional shops and parking spaces, one of the largest fast-charging sites in Switzerland was built at the location in the past few months. The stations were installed by the startup GOtthard FASTcharge AG (GOFAST).

More electric cars than ever before can be flashing by the famous rest stop that spans the A1 motorway. From now on, these drivers will be greeted by charging stations at the rest stop. Located at the rest stop entrance, the GOFAST fast-charging stations are split into two, enabling electric car drivers to charge their vehicles on both sides of the roadway.

The site has 20 charging stations, up to 300 kilowatts of charging capacity and the ability to parallel charge. Thanks to the wide range of charging stations available, both battery-powered cars and plug-in hybrids can be charged at the location. More than 300 vehicles can be charged each day - regardless of the make of car. Cutting-edge electric cars such as the Porsche Taycan can receive enough power in just 10 minutes to travel a further 250 km. The majority of electric cars on Swiss roads, however, are designed for a maximum charging capacity of 100 to 150 kilowatts.

The size of the charging park in Würenlos and the electricity supply required, proved to be a challenge when it came to this project. GOFAST worked closely with its partner EVTEC AG (based in Kriens, Lucerne) to develop a working concept and implement it. This concept allows for an extremely high charging capacity of up to 300 kW, 20 charging stations and charging plugs for all electric cars (including Tesla models). A buffer battery based on a smart control system was installed as a supporting component, enabling the site to reach its maximum output. This battery is made of old electric car batteries.

Generally speaking, the car batteries in modern electric cars outlive the vehicle in which they are installed. When used as a buffer battery, as is the case in Würenlos, they receive a second life as part of a stationary battery setup. This also improves the environmental footprint of the electric car from which they were taken.

The shopping rest stop is now one of the most well equipped for electric mobility in Europe. According to Domenic Lanz, CEO of GOFAST, this is thanks to the visionary thinking of the site's owners in terms of mobility. ‘There's going to be far more than 20 charging stations in the future,' stated Lanz. Lanz went on to say that this forward-looking attitude made him more than willing to work with Zacharias Oliver, Director of Bovida Real Estate AG - which owns the rest stop - to jointly turn the site into a haven for electric cars.