Australian technology companies SwitchDin and EV-NRG announced on Tuesday their plan to roll out what they believe is “the fastest and most reliable charging solution” for fleet operators that can enable charging in as little as 20 minutes.
SwitchDin, a software development company from Newcastle, and EV-NRG, an electric vehicle (EV) charging technology company on the Gold Coast, say the new charging solution will require minimal network connection upgrades and will help ensure fleets can make their transition to EVs quickly and safely.”
The two companies have already delivered these so-called “ultrafast” EV chargers to one of Australia’s largest fuel suppliers, Viva Energy, which operates Shell branded retailers, and they say their software helps leverage Viva’s on-site solar and battery energy storage systems.
Each of these so-called “Blueberry Clusters” provides four charging points and 500kW of charging power across the cluster, with each point capable of charging EVs from 10 to 80 per cent in under 20 minutes.
“Now the demand for high-power Megawatt Charging Systems (MCS) is ramping up, the new global MCS Standard currently being trialled globally will also accelerate take up,” said EV-NRG chief sales officer, Chris Hewitt.
“Across the nation we’re seeing fleets taking a leading role in the adoption of electric vehicles.
“In particular bus operators are quickly adopting an all-electric fleet. That’s where working with SwitchDin is key. Most charging will take place in the depot and these depots require large grid connections and often a combination of solar and batteries to support the demand.
“In the depot environment we will see some of our country’s largest charging sites with 10-100+ plugs. Integrating many megawatts of chargers into the grid requires technology like SwitchDin’s VEF platform to cleverly allocate and distribute power where it’s needed most.”
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.