VW’s Electrify America has announced today the selection of 4 suppliers to build 4 different charging stations for its massive electric vehicle charging network to be deployed in the US over the next few years.
As we previously reported, Electrify America was created as part of the German automaker’s $2 billion settlements with California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its use of emission test cheating devices in its diesel vehicles.
The new company plans to deploy several charging networks, like the plan for California, which includes installing ultra-fast 320 kW chargers, and the plan for the whole country, which includes a ‘nationwide 150 kW+ fast charging network’.
Furthermore, they also announced plans to install ‘2,800 charging stations’ at workplaces and apartments.
But for the fast-charging stations, the company has now confirmed the suppliers: ABB, BTC Power, Efacec and Signet. Each of these companies is already well-known as hardware suppliers for existing EV charging networks.
Mark McNabb, President and CEO of Electrify America, commented on the announcement:
These state-of-the-art chargers will provide the latest in charging technology for today’s electric vehicles and those expected in the future that will feature larger batteries. We want to be sure that our systems are prepared for this growing market, and ABB, BTC Power, Efacec and Signet will help us deliver chargers that are ultra-fast, convenient, reliable and future-proof.
They will be building different, albeit similar charging stations with the same ‘certified cooled-cable 150/350 kilowatt (kW) DC Fast Charger’ technology:
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- Signet
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- Efacec
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- BTC Power
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- ABB
As you can see, the designs are quite similar and they are all equipped with the same features, like a CHAdeMO (50kW) connector, plus additional dual-handle chargers with CCS1 (50 to 150kW or 350 kW) connectors, and a 15-inch touchscreen display with the same user interface.
The company also says that “the majority of its ultra-fast charging systems will utilize the RADOX® HPC (High Power Charging) System from HUBER+SUHNER which features a much smaller cable cross-section than the traditional high-powered cable option. These cooled cables are thinner, more flexible, lighter and easier to handle.”
Electrify America already started deploying some of the other stations in its network, but now the first of those “ultra-fast” charging stations will be installed this spring.
The goal is for all 2,000+ stations to be “operational or under construction at 484 sites in 17 metropolitan areas and on highways in 39 states by the end of 2019 as part of its Cycle One infrastructure investment.”
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