Charging reimagined
Client: AUDI | Agency: DEPT® | 2022 | Role: concept
(assisting senior team Chris Groelle & Max Kurstjens)
QUEST
Create a campaign that enhances AUDI's visibility as the brand dedicated to future-thinking, leading the transition to electric driving in the Netherlands.
A PR campaign that reimagines electric car charging by transforming the Amsterdam cityscape into Audi-branded art.
INSIGHT
We are driving electric vehicles more than ever, which means more charging stations are appearing in our urban landscape. By 2030, Amsterdam will have 80,000 charging stations – one 'gray box' every 20 meters.
We asked ourselves the question, "What could a charging station designed for Amsterdam look like?"
IDEA
We collaborated with spatial designer Sabine Marceilis to create a innovative Audi charging station, establishing a permanent presence in the urban landscape and solidifying Audi's connection to the electric future in the Netherlands.
The design of the charging pole is inspired by the materials that make the city. The base of the structure is made from 3D printed sand, reflecting the foundational materials of the city, symbolizing the very bedrock upon which Amsterdam is built. The top volume consists of layered glass which reflects its surroundings and draws the city into the sculptural object. Hidden in these layers are solar cells, allowing the pole to generate its own electricity.
LAUNCH
The charging station was unveiled to the press and public during the event ‘Design for an electric city’. Speakers gave their views on the city of the future and the role of mobility in the transition to electric driving. Visitors were given the opportunity to admire the charging station in real life and to interview Sabine Marcelis. After the event, a compilation of all campaign videos went live, in which the entire process could be followed from A to Z.
