In our recent explainer on electric vehicle charging, you might have noticed that we didn't mention wireless EV charging. Now common on smartphones, wireless charging works the same way on cars, just at higher power levels and with much bigger batteries.
But after some demos and news releases during the mid-teens, the technology seemed to fall off the radar. Behind the scenes, though, engineers were hashing out an industry standard, aided by industry consolidation along the way.
That's now final, and the first EVs with factory-fit wireless charging systems are starting to appear, albeit not here in the US just yet. But given its ease of use, even for drivers who can't imagine life beyond the gas pump, the potential for adoption seems good.
It wasn't the only outfit developing wireless charging, however. In Massachusetts, an MIT spinoff called WiTricity started playing around with wireless car charging in 2010 after an investment by Toyota. READ MORE...
In an effort to make electric vehicle (EV) charging less confusing, leading EV charging company Electrify America has introduced a new charger labeling system that makes it even more confusing.
It requires drivers to intuit whether “hyper” or “ultra” chargers are faster. This is, apparently, better than the previous system, which was to determine whether 350 or 150 is a bigger number.
Electrify America announced all this in a recent press release along with an accompanying white paper. In the announcement, EA states 350 kilowatt chargers will now be known as “Hyper-Fast” while 150 kilowatt chargers will be called “Ultra-Fast” as part of “an effort to simplify the charging experience for both new and existing electric vehicle (EV) customers.”
They are doing this, according to the white paper, after extensive focus group and survey research which “revealed that one of the most significant pain points expressed by EV drivers is confusion over the differences between charging speeds and the charging capacity of their vehicles” because there is no industry-wide definition of fast charging. READ MORE...
Paired Power said its new 5 kW solar canopy measures 3.2 meters x 5.2 meters x 3.7 meters and can host up to 10 bifacial solar panels. It can be used in on-grid or off-grid modes and can be paired with lithium-ion battery storage systems up to 40 kWh in size.
California-based Paired Power has unveiled a 5 kW solar canopy with built-in EV charging capabilities.
Its PairTree product can be used in on-grid or off-grid modes and can be paired with lithium-ion battery systems with storage capacities of up to 40 kWh.
“The product is currently only being sold in the US, Paired Power is focused on the US market but will consider international opportunities down the line,” a company spokesperson told pv magazine.
The carport can host up to 10 bifacial solar modules and can be installed within a single workday, with just two workers using standard hand tools.
“The installation of traditional EV chargers and solar canopies is a time and labor-intensive process, not to mention the disruption and delays of construction,” said CEO Tom McCalmont. “We designed PairTree to eliminate these hassles and make the transition to solar and EV charging simple and scalable while also being modular enough to accommodate future needs.” READ MORE...
