A German research group that includes Porsche and BMW has unveiled the prototype of a new 450 kw charging station that has a capacity 3 times that of the existing Tesla Superchargers.
Contrast with Tesla Superchargers
Tesla's present Superchargers have a maximum capacity of just 145 kw. However, Tesla has already upgraded from earlier chargers that generated only 120 kw. Tesla intends to upgrade the capacity of its network to $250 kw next year. Recently a 350 kw charger was installed by Electrify America in California.
A recent article notes: "The industrial companies involved in the research project “FastCharge” yesterday presented the latest advancements in the field of fast and convenient energy supply for electrically powered vehicles. The prototype of a charging station with a capacity of up to 450 kW was inaugurated in Jettingen-Scheppach, Bavaria. At this ultra-fast charging station, electrically powered research vehicles created as part of the project are able to demonstrate charging times of less than three minutes for the first 100 kilometres of range or 15 minutes for a full charge (10-80 % State of Charge (SOC))."
The new prototype charging station can be used free of charge right away and is suitable for electric models of all brands with the Type 2 version of the internationally widespread Combined Charging System (CCS). This is commonly used in Europe.
Many EV's will not be able to use the full charging capacity
The prototype Porsche Taycan the EV that was used in the demonstration drew a little over 400 kw. Other vehicles drew much less. The Audi E-Tron drew just 150 kw and the Jaguar I-Pace drew a mere 100 kw. The Porsche Taycan is not to be released until next year. Obviously EVs need to be updated to use all of the power of the new charger. The prototype station can be used on cars with both 400 and 800-volt charging systems. The charger will automatically pick the best one when the vehicle is plugged in.
The system may take time to be widespread
Although the prototype is already running in Germany, it will take some time to create the infrastructure that supports it in more places. There may be problems with the ability of power grids to handle the loads produced by these power-hungry chargers.
One of the problems with operating EVs has been the availability of charging stations. Even if a station has a number of charging stations, there could be a problem meeting demand if they need to be plugged in for a considerable time to get recharged. Tesla had even suggested that perhaps a cars battery could be replaced entirely to solve the problem. However, with faster more powerful charging station this may be less of a problem.
Previously published in Digital Journal
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