A 90kW DC charger is 15X-faster than conventional curbside chargers, able to “invisibly” charge cars during standard 1-hour cub dwell times and dynamically control power use to balance grid
NEW YORK – Gravity is releasing a new curbside charger as part of its intelligent group charging equipment portfolio. Announced at the MOVE America 2022 conference in Austin, Texas, the new TIC_01 chargers have a similar footprint to conventional level 2 chargers, but can charge at up to 90kW—15X faster than existing equipment, at comparable equipment cost, using DC and CCS cables. Based on technology developed for Gravity’s TFC-01 True Fast charger, the curbside charger will be available for deployment in cities by the end of 2022.
Fast, accessible curbside charging will be a critical component in increasing EV adoption in cities. New York City alone has committed to installing 10,000 curbside charging spots by 2030. But conventional 6-7kW level 2 curbside chargers take 8-10 hours to charge a vehicle—forcing cars to park far longer than necessary in business districts with metered parking, and significantly reducing the total number of EVs each charger can support.
Gravity’s new curbside charger is designed to “invisibly” charge vehicles during standard 1-hour meter dwell times, so drivers never have to alter driving and parking behavior to charge their vehicles. Because of that high turnover, a network of 10,000 Gravity chargers can support hundreds of thousands of EVs charging sessions a day – a giant leap in support of the full transition to electric vehicles.
“Cities have this one chance to get curbside charging right. We must ensure that this long-term investment is not wasted on obsolete chargers that hinder EV adoption and strain the grid. Our newest chargers will enable cities to accelerate EV adoption, boost turnover at the curb and move toward a smarter grid. Gravity has a future-proof solution that’s faster and more flexible than any other on the market today, and we’re excited to begin our first installation soon,” said Moshe Cohen, founder and CEO of Gravity Inc.
To manage power draw on the grid, Gravity integrates with the closest substation and/or neighboring buildings, taking into account current peak usage and capacity charges and all power is shared across chargers on the block. This allows for optimal use of available power at the lowest possible cost, which brings down the cost of EV charging to the consumer. That approach can also facilitate a host of future smart energy management initiatives including vehicle-to-load and vehicle-to-grid, which relies on bi-directional use of EV batteries. Tesla’s recent announcement of CCS adapters solidifies the convergence to the CCS standard and further renders AC level 2 chargers obsolete outside of a private home garage.
