Car makers in Europe have been working together for a while now to develop and roll out a network of fast chargers for electric vehicles. And Switzerland's ABB launched a 350 kW fast charger in April, claimed to give EVs 120 miles of range for 8 minutes plugged in. Now Porsche has announced that one of its research cars has received a 400+ kilowatt charge from a prototype charging station in Germany.
The development is part of the FastCharge research project launched in July 2016, which includes Siemens, BMW and Porsche among its partners. The latest prototype ultra-fast charging station has been installed in Jettingen-Scheppach near the A8 motorway and can output 450 kW – "three to nine times as high as what is currently possible with DC rapid-charging stations."
Porsche – which is due to release the all-electric Taycan next year – hasn't revealed much about its research vehicle but has said that it has a net battery capacity of about 90 kWh, and got enough juice from the prototype FastCharge charger for 100 km (62 mi) of range in just 3 minutes. The auto maker says that this is thanks to "an innovative cooling system" that helps ensure even temperature control in the battery cells.
The prototype FastCharge station can accommodate 400 V and 800 V battery systems and the charging capacity is automatically adjusted to match the vehicle's maximum. The plug used was a Combined Charging System Type 2 variant, which is standard in Europe.
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Isn't diversity wonderful, not only do you have to find a charger that is vacant and working it also has to be the right type and voltage. So glad my car fits any petrol pump. :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Wed 19 Dec 18 at 07:29
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CCS will soon be the standard fastcharge connector in Europe.
Tesla Superchargers are being retrofitted with CCS plugs and Model 3 will have CCS in Europe.
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>> Tesla Superchargers are being retrofitted with CCS plugs and Model 3 will have CCS in
>> Europe.
Perhaps this woman should be told ;)
youtu.be/j52odgkRxDs
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This is exactly what is needed. Bear in mind that you don't need to "brim" the batteries necessarily either. In many cases, you'll just need a quick splash and dash (equivalent) to get you home. This could reduce a quick top up to 5 minutes or so, which is on a par with a petrol or diesel stop once you factor in queueing and paying. It also greatly increases the throughput of cars on a given charge point.
These cars need a totally different approach to 'refuelling' than an IC car. In your IC car, you generally do not pay any attention to the available range in the tank when you start the day. When the level gets low, you stop off somewhere convenient and brim the tank to take the range back to 100%. An EV works much more like a mobile phone. You charge it overnight whether it needs it or not, so you start each day at 100%. Then if it needs a top off, you stick enough in it to last until you get home, and plug it in to charge fully overnight. For most of us, most of the time, you won't need to charge the vehicle at the roadside at all, and if you do, it will be a 'splash and dash' to give you enough range to get home.
Yes, I know some of us do 400+ miles in a day (I did only on Monday), but the vast majority of us don't, the vast majority of the time.
Last edited by: DP on Wed 19 Dec 18 at 10:38
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I'm thinking that rate of recharging will always be the exception, and pricing for it will be very high - and variable according to demand. A mere 10,000 of those plugged in at once would take something on a scale of 10% of current UK generating capacity.
Some serious thought needs to be given to taxation. If capacity limits mean the price is £10/kWh mid-afternoon on a weekday, who should get the money, and why? How can tax be applied at different rates for EV charging and cooking the tea?
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Porsche plugs into 450 kW EV charging station - Old Navy
