JOHN DAVIS: Juicing up at home is now a given for most electric vehicle owners, but the
infrastructure for destination charging—at work, while shopping and even on vacation—is
rapidly expanding as well, making it easier than ever to make EVs a go-anywhere vehicle
of choice.
The number of public-access EV chargers in the U.S. has jumped from less than 500 in
2009, when Federal Recovery Act grants began spurring EV infrastructure development, to
more than 42,000 charge ports at 16,000 locations in 2017.
The vast majority are Level 2, 240-volt chargers.
These use a standardized connector compatible with all mass-market plug-in vehicles and
typically charge at 4 to 7 kW, adding about 26 miles of range per hour.
Many public chargers are free to use with a municipality or business covering the cost
in order to attract visitors and encourage EV use.
For those that require a fee, users may pay by the session, by the kW-hour, or sometimes
an all-you-can-use subscription.
Car companies are also supporting charging convenience: BMW and the National Park Service
have teamed up in honor of their respective 100th anniversaries to install up to 100 EV
charging stations, donated by BMW, in or near our national parks.
The U.S. Department of Energy is serving as a technical adviser and will make these chargers
easy for travelers to find in their online national station locator tool and smartphone
app.
The first of these chargers has been installed, fittingly enough, at the Thomas Edison National
Historical Park in New Jersey.
TOM ROSS: We're standing here at the garage where he had a very early electric vehicle
charging station, circa 1904.
He owned a number of electric vehicles, and of course, his interest in the electric storage
battery is well noted, and he spent over 10 years and $2.5 million working on these batteries
to improve the electric vehicle.
JOHN DAVIS: The ability to charge at work can potentially double the practical commuting
range for an electrified vehicle.
Many public parking garages have EV charging equipment while more and more private companies
have added multiple chargers in their lots to encourage EV use among their employees.
Vacation or inter-city travel means going beyond the predictable routes of everyday
commuting and presents a whole new set of challenges for plugging in.
In this case, Level 3, direct-current fast charging, is the most desirable option.
Too expensive for most home installations, a typical Level 3 charger delivers 40 to 60
kW of power and can provide an 80% full charge in just 20 minutes.
Not all plug-in vehicles can accept fast charging, and there is also an issue of incompatibility
between Chademo and SAE combo connector, the two types of fast-charge interfaces used by
EV makers.
For now, they coexist as a kind of dual standard that will likely continue for some time.
A third type of charge plug is used by Tesla for their proprietary 120 kW supercharger
network.
There are now about 2,600 superchargers nationwide, but Tesla plans to double that number by the
end of 2017.
Conventional fast-charge outlets are on a similar pace for expansion with numerous programs
in the works.
For instance, Nissan and EVgo have partnered with the state of California on "Drive the
ARC," an advanced recharging corridor demonstration that is installing 50 fast chargers on popular
routes between Lake Tahoe and Monterey, and they have announced a similar program on the
East Coast, linking Washington D.C. to Boston.
It's also worth noting every EV comes with a Level 1 120-volt charger, and many businesses
and hotels will happily allow you to plug in for free.
So virtually everywhere you want to go, charging power is likely nearby.
While the U.S. fast-charging infrastructure is still in its adolescence, it is growing
fast to meet demand—and giving those that want to hit the open road gas-free good reason
to get charged up for driving electric.
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét