Aldi Süd expands network of electric charging stations

Aldi Süd is significantly expanding its network of electric charging stations to enable longer-distance travel. On August 8, 2018, the first of 28 planned 50 kW fast-charging stations was put into operation at the ALDI SÜD branch in Seeheim-Jugenheim. What makes Aldi Süd's expansion of the charging infrastructure special: The branches with the new electric charging stations are located along the A3, A5, A6, A7, A8, and A9 motorways and can be reached within a maximum of five minutes of driving time from an exit. The distance between ALDI SÜD branches with charging stations is a maximum of 160 kilometers. "With the new charging stations, we are comprehensively equipping the main traffic routes through western and southern Germany with electric charging stations," says Florian Kempf, Head of Energy Management at ALDI SÜD. "This makes traveling with an electric car easy."

The new charging stations have a capacity of 50 kW and can be used by all common electric car models. Depending on the type of vehicle, this allows for a range extension of up to 200 kilometers in just 30 minutes. "So far, we have focused on metropolitan areas and city centers. Now we are enabling our customers to plan their holiday trips with us," says Florian Kempf. Innogy is the technology partner for the fast-charging stations. "With the commitment of Aldi Süd, long distances for electric cars become even more comfortable," says Lothar Stanka, Head of Sales for Electromobility at Innogy. "Charging infrastructure at companies, especially in retail, plays a key role in the success of electromobility."

The discount retailer will thus offer more than 80 charging stations for electric cars by the end of 2018. Currently, 53 Aldi Süd branches have an electric charging station. The majority of the 28 new charging stations will be put into operation this summer. Customers can recharge their green electricity for free and without registration during store opening hours. The electricity for this is produced by a photovoltaic system on the roof of the branch during sunshine hours. The discount retailer consistently invests in modern technologies and efficiency measures. Thus, Aldi Süd now produces climate-friendly electricity with its own photovoltaic systems at 1300 of its 1890 branches. By the end of 2018, 60 more branches will be equipped with photovoltaic systems. For the electricity demand that cannot be met by the company itself, the group relies solely on certified green electricity. The emissions that cannot be avoided in daily operations are offset by certified compensation projects.

What does this mean?

The electric charging stations are important components of Aldi Süd's sustainability commitment and serve as a customer retention measure. For many years, Aldi Süd has been working to make its business operations sustainable and climate-friendly and has been climate-neutral since 2017.