Largest temporary charging station in Europe at Sectie-C in Eindhoven

The Design Rides are a recurring project during Dutch Design Week (DDW). This year there are even more than ever, 45 of them to be exact, driving around Eindhoven to bring DDW visitors from A to B. With an eye to the future, DDW, together with its partner Renault, was able to ensure for the first time this year that all 45 Renault Design Rides drive completely electrically. By doing so, DDW has made a big step towards making the festival more sustainable. With 18,000 expected trips, this was no more than logical, but how do you organise this practically? The charging of these electric cars takes place at Sectie-C, where one of the largest temporary mobile charging stations in Europe was developed especially for the nine days of DDW by Van der Sijs techniek.

Why Sectie-C?

It was a well-considered decision to install the charging station at Section-C because there are many direct connection points on site to the high-capacity electricity grid, an ideal remnant of the former industrial estate, but what does that mean for the charging station of the Renault Design Rides? The charging station has a power supply of 3 times 160 amps and is spread over 10 charging stations with 40 charging points. Two charging stations with 8 charging points have a capacity of 22 kilowatts (kW), or a Design Ride can charge approximately 130 kilometres per hour. The remaining charging stations have 32 charging points with a capacity of up to 7.4 kW, which means that approximately 55 kilometres are charged per hour.

Creative hub

Sectie-C is a place where four former factories have been transformed into a breeding ground for artists, musicians, craftsmen and designers. Besides the fact that the Design Rides with their design objects on the roof are a business card of designers when they drive through the city, they are also an addition to the other projects on Section-C when they are charging.