Sustainable coffee in an emission-free café
The link between coffee and Škoda’s electric vehicles is no coincidence. As part of its commitment to sustainability, the company has long supplied its own Curiosity Fuel coffee to its facilities. Electric vehicles are also particularly suitable for this transformation, as their high-capacity batteries can power all the necessary equipment.
Only minor technical modifications were required. The base installation was supplied by a traditional Czech partner and then adapted to integrate a professional coffee machine. In addition to the coffee machine and grinder, the cars carry two refrigerators, an ice maker, a gas stove, and an electric kettle.
An alternator converter enables the café equipment to be powered directly from the high-voltage 82 kWh traction battery. This provides not only a driving range of several hundred kilometres, but also long-lasting capacity for coffee preparation. “At Milan Design Week, everything was powered solely from the battery. After a week of serving over 3,000 coffees, the car still had 20% of its charge left,” describes Hampl.
The setup also includes a roof box with a 100 W solar panel. For extended capacity, an additional external 220 W panel can be connected. Both can contribute to powering the onboard café equipment. The box holds coffee and water supplies, recycled paper cups, and two bar tables for serving. With the installation, both the Elroq and Enyaq can accommodate a three-member crew, ready to serve coffee within 10 minutes of stopping. “Most of that time is spent heating up the coffee machine,” Hampl adds with a smile.