Electrify America Redesigns its Charging Stations

Ken Zino of AutoInformed.com on Electrify America Redesigns its Charging StationsElectrify America today announced a new design for some of its future charging stations for electric vehicle customers as they transition to electric mobility.

In addition to this “new, customer-focused design evolution, the company will be introducing its next generation charger with functional design updates to improve the direct charging experience for the customer,” EA said in a release.

Basically, it is adding things such as solar canopies and awnings, customer waiting areas and other customer-focused services at some locations. The company plans to showcase this transition with installation in 2022 and 2023 in select new flagship charging facilities in Santa Barbara, San Francisco, San Diego and Beverly Hills, California and in New York within Manhattan and Brooklyn. Currently the company has flagship charging stations located in Baker, California and Santa Clara, California.

With some of the new stations  having up to 20 ultra-fast DC chargers, the company is looking to add a number of options at various locations including:

  • Customer lounges, electric vehicle showcase areas, dedicated event space
  • Overhead solar canopies to shield customers from sun and inclement weather
  • On-site security cameras and additional lighting
  • Charging stations located at select shopping locations may offer valet charging and curbside delivery options

 Solar Awnings

 Electrify America is also currently adding solar awnings to 400-500 individual chargers at 100 charging stations across the country. In addition to providing shelter from the sun and weather, the energy captured by the solar awnings will be used to help power the station’s operations. The company has already installed solar canopies at its charging stations in Baker and Santa Clara, CA. The solar energy from these solar canopies is also routed to the onsite battery energy storage systems, capturing energy to help charge electric vehicles.

Next-Generation Charger

Electrify America will also begin the introduction of a redesigned electric vehicle charger with functional and design elements to simplify the customer experience. The ultra-fast chargers with up to 150 and 350 kilowatts of charging keep Electrify America’s green glow and continue to stand at 8 feet tall. The next-generation charger will also have:

  • An all-new design that refines the look and reduces the footprint of the charger
  • A recessed and brighter HMI (human-machine interface) screen to help reduce the glare from sunlight making it easier for customers to view the operational instructions and charging progress
  • A single connector cable with an all-new cable management system to ease the effort to plug in the cable no matter where the charging port resides on a customer’s EV
  • A reduced footprint of both the charger and power cabinets will allow installation of more equipment in space constrained, urban locations.

Adding More Than 150 Onsite Battery Energy Systems

 New station design is integrating energy and cost-saving technology to help improve efficiency and make charging “more simple, fast and comfortable than ever before.” By expanding the deployment of onsite battery energy storage systems (BESS) to more than 150 stations, the company continues to build on previous investments to help manage the energy load to the grid and capture excess solar energy where possible.

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