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Electric Vehicles & DC Fast Charging: Moving to the Next Level, Reveals IDTechExBOSTON, June 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The IDTechEx report "Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles and Fleets 2021-2031" finds that the total number of electric vehicle charging outlets surpassed 1 million in 2020, with both China and Europe at or below the optimum 10 electric vehicles per charging outlet. The US is lagging at ~17 electric vehicles per outlet, but with a cool $174 billion earmarked by the Biden administration for electric vehicle and charging infrastructure market development, the tide is turning. Is all charging created equal? No. Considering only power delivery, there are three 'levels' of electric vehicle charger. Level 1 Chargers Level 1 chargers plug into ordinary electrical outlets and typically supply AC power in the 1 – 3kW range; it would take a 40kWh battery over 13 hours to fully charge with a 3kW level 1 charger. Therefore, level 1 chargers are primarily intended for a slow charge overnight, or as something to keep in the trunk for emergencies. Level 2 Chargers In the ideal scenario, it would take a 40kWh battery over 1.8 hours to charge with a 22kW level 2 charger. However, the problem with level 1 and level 2 chargers is the AC power delivery, which requires conversion to DC before it can charge a battery. This is the function of avehicle's 'onboard charger': an onboard AC – DC converter (AKA a rectifier). Today, most new electric car models contain 7 – 11kW onboard chargers, with luxury models typically ranging from 15 - 22kW. The issue is that the onboard charger is a bottleneck: a BMW i3 plugged into a 22kW AC charger will only charge at 11kW, because this is the capacity of its onboard charger. Level 3 'DC Fast Chargers' Due to integrated rectifiers and greater installation costs, DC fast chargers cost an order of magnitude higher than AC chargers, typically between $50,000 - $100,000. But, as rated powers increase to hundreds of kW, this can span into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, creating a law of diminishing returns between time savings (or 'convenience') to the vehicle owner and the upfront cost of the DC fast charger. The sweet spot is 100kW - 150kW; at this level, a 40kWh battery will charge in over 20 mins – much more coffee-breakable. Any faster, and the costs of the charger and associated installation and electrical infrastructure upgrades increase greatly while saving the vehicle owner several minutes of charging time; any slower and you might need to buy two coffees. For more information, IDTechEx's report "Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles and Fleets 2021-2031" provides the market share of AC and DC chargers over the coming decade as well as an in-depth analysis of the charging infrastructure demand in the major regions – China, Europe (UK, Netherlands, France, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Rest of Europe) and the US. For more information on this report, please visit www.IDTechEx.com/EVCharge. This research forms part of the broader electric vehicle and energy storage portfolio from IDTechEx, who track the adoption of electric vehicles, battery trends, and demand across land, sea and air, helping you navigate whatever may be ahead. Find out more at www.IDTechEx.com/Research/EV. IDTechEx guides your strategic business decisions through its Research, Subscription and Consultancy products, helping you profit from emerging technologies. For more information, contact [email protected] or visit www.IDTechEx.com. Images download: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/noc7sf03wonauxs/AAAnVaegfvNg-HdfoEhmDK3Aa?dl=0 Media Contact: Natalie Moreton Social Media Links: Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/IDTechEx View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/electric-vehicles--dc-fast-charging-moving-to-the-next-level-reveals-idtechex-301319388.html SOURCE IDTechEx |