Hyundai's Formula One-inspired EV chargers look properly futuristic
The automaker aims to install 20 of these E-Pit stations across South Korea this year.
Looks pretty fancy.
Hyundai and Formula One aren't a thing, but that didn't stop the automaker from taking inspiration from the top echelon of motorsport when designing what you see here. It's called an E-Pit, and the design is serving as Hyundai's blueprint for EV charging stations for the foreseeable future.
While the look is nothing like an F1 pit wall, the motorsport inspiration lies in the idea of how much takes place during a pit stop in a race. In literal seconds, pit crews swap tires and make repairs. Hyundai took this ethos and applied it to charging electric cars . At an E-Pit, Hyundai and Kia owners will be able to plug into 800-volt chargers and juice their cars up to 80% charged in fewer than 20 minutes. In just 5 minutes, owners can add over 60 miles of range.
Hyundai didn't comment on whether this E-Pit concept will come to the US, but in South Korea, the automaker's moving very quickly on the project. This year, it wants to install 20 of these futuristic stations. This month alone, it wants 12 of them up and running along a dozen highway rest stops. There'll be 72 individual plugs available at the 20 stations. Then, it will build eight more stations with 48 additional chargers in various urban areas.
Owners will also have access to no-fuss, digital payment. From a mobile app, they can unlock a charger and pay from their phone.
The new charging stations will support a growing number of EVs coming soon from Hyundai and Kia. The first two, the Ioniq 5 and EV6, will launch in the latter half of this year.
