Volkswagen unit Electrify America on Monday announced its plan to install Tesla Powerpack battery systems at more than 100 of their electric vehicle charging stations nationwide over the course of 2019.
The battery systems will be deployed to mitigate higher power demand charges and manage operating costs by avoiding or reducing demand and energy charges during peak charging periods.
Each site will consist of a 210 kW battery system with roughly 350 kWh of capacity. With a modular design, more capacity can be added over time.
“Our stations are offering some of the most technologically advanced charging that is available,” said Giovanni Palazzo, chief executive officer of Electrify America. “With our chargers offering high power levels, it makes sense for us to use batteries at our most high demand stations for peak shaving to operate more efficiently. Tesla’s Powerpack system is a natural fit given their global expertise in both battery storage development and EV charging.”
With more and more EVs hitting the road, Electrify America has designed its sites and electrical systems to easily enable future upgrades to meet the demand of the growing market and proactively engage with a changing utility landscape and rate structures.
The Electrify America charging system features the first-ever certified cooled-cable 350 kW chargers in the United States. A 350 kW charger can theoretically charge a vehicle at speeds up to 20 miles per minute – seven times faster than today’s most commonly used 50 kW fast chargers. As Electrify America continues to build out its network with this technology, it will continually work to develop and deploy innovative solutions to bring down the operating cost of fast charging, providing sustainability to the grid and reliability to drivers.
Electrify America’s nationwide DC fast charging stations will be located in 17 metropolitan areas and along high-traffic corridors in 42 states, including two cross-country routes.
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