EV-Charge buffers

Specialists in energy storage

The rapidly increasing number of electric cars puts pressure on the charging infrastructure because drivers want to be able to quickly charge their car and continue their journey to their next customer or home. Often the existing infrastructure to the traditional filling stations is not sufficient to provide the high powers required for EV chargers. The time that the grid operator needs to increase grid capacity and make cables heavier is more years than months, putting the Paris agreement on CO2 reduction under pressure.

Another possible problem is the uncertainty in arriving at a balanced budget for EV chargers. Not every filling station is 100% sure that the investment in EV chargers and the (expensive) grid infrastructure can be recovered in a reasonable period of time. An EV charging buffer can then be used to first check the ‘cat out of the tree’ and see whether there are actually enough drivers coming to charge at this location. If that is the case, the investment required to increase the grid capacity can still be made. If there is not enough interest in charging with EVs at this location, it can be decided to place the EV charging buffer elsewhere and to investigate the brand there or to request a smaller reinforcement than initially budgeted.

In addition to a gas station, an EV charging buffer can also play a role around (rented) real estate: an office that encourages its (field service) staff to switch to electric cars can be confronted with a blackout if all representatives are on the case for the weekly meeting. The combined power of the EV chargers and the normal consumption may be more than can be supplied by the grid connection. There too, an ATEPS PWR Booster, configured as an EV charging buffer, can support the grid power. Certainly for rented buildings, the use of a portable system will lead to a more positive result than an investment in grid reinforcement that cannot be included when moving.