IEVS: Chevron And Texaco Fuel Stations Will Get FreeWire battery-integrated Fast Chargers

[GRA]

Chevron And Texaco Fuel Stations Will Get FreeWire Fast Chargers
FreeWire's battery-integrated chargers are easier and less expensive to deploy.

https://insideevs.com/news/613621/chevron-texaco-stations-freewire-chargers/

FreeWire Technologies announced a new program "to make available" battery-integrated electric vehicle charging equipment and solutions for Chevron’s branded stations.

In effect, soon we should see FreeWire Boost Chargers deployed at Chevron and Texaco stations (both company-owned and independently owned retailer and marketer stations). . . .

The press release is a bit enigmatic, so we don't really know how the partnership will work nor how many chargers might be installed.

The recently launched FreeWire Boost Charger 200 is equipped with an integrated battery energy storage (160 kWh) and can charge at up to 200 kW (using CCS plug) or up to 100 kW (using CHAdeMO plug), or charge two vehicles simultaneously, each at up to 100 kW.

The main advantage of such a type of charger is a much lower input power requirement (at 27 kW AC), which enable deployment quickly and at a lower cost in areas where full power is not easily available.

Another thing is that such chargers might be used temporarily, just to check demand for EV charging (before big investments) - and this might be tempting for companies like Chevron. . . .

FreeWire Technologies' other partners, which usually are associated with internal combustion engine vehicles are bp and Phillips66. The ongoing electrification is simply a trend that can't be ignored.

Could be a reasonable idea at rural locations with intermittent usage such as U.S. 50 across Nevada, or as the article suggests to test whether upgrading the electrical infrastructure at a site is worth it, as these units are modular and self-contained. https://freewiretech.com/products/dc-boost-charger-200/

From the spec sheet's dimensions,
109 cm (43”) L x 101 cm (40”) W x 243 cm (96”) H
Cable Reach from Station 340 cm (134”)
Weight 1,720 kg (3,800 lbs)

it looks like all you'd need for installation per unit would be about a 4'x'4 concrete pad and some kind of protective barrier (posts, wheel stops) plus trenching for wires from the transformer. I'll be interested to check one of these out.

 

[WetEV]

Could be a reasonable idea at rural locations with intermittent usage...

Old news. These have been installed for a while. For example:

https://www.plugshare.com/location/454838

The problem, from the user perspective, is unpredictability.

Example. With a battery good for two charges, say like the above location, 150kWh, 19.2kW feed. Suppose four cars arrive at the same time. The first two cars get 75kW, and are gone in under an hour. The next two cars get 9.6kW, and are there for 7+ hours.

I'm not going to plan to use these sorts of stations in trip. Single unit per location likely, alternatives likely scarce, all red flags. For a rural area, I'd rather have a 50 Amp AC location. Sure, I know I'm spending the night, or most of a day, but I can plan in advance. And an AC location is 99+% reliable. These are called "RV parks", and they exist widely already. Can usually book in advance.

Now, isn't a horrible idea, for the rural location. Infrastructure can be very expensive in remote locations. Some things are missing, at least now. Some type of app or web real time battery SOC status would be very helpful. Also the ability to reserve some of that energy. If I know the battery on the station is empty, I'm not going to bother. If the battery has 50kWh available, and I can reserve it, I might stop by. Still needs higher reliability than multiple station locations. 90% is ok, if there are four stations, as the odds of having one working station is 99.99%. With one station, really need 99.99% availability. Or close to it.

There are places where solar powered battery storage chargers are likely the best alternative. Example, I-70 in Utah. There is a section 104 miles long with no service stations or electric power other than solar power between Green River UT and Salina UT. Having a solar powered boost charger near the midpoint, under the solar powered street lights of the Eagle Canyon Rest Area. It might well save lives... there isn't much out there. Even with longer range EVs rarely needing it,

The best use case for these might be for a small EV fleet. Your company has two EV vans, and they need quick charging at shift changes? No problem.

 

[GRA]

Could be a reasonable idea at rural locations with intermittent usage...

Old news. These have been installed for a while. For example:

https://www.plugshare.com/location/454838

The problem, from the user perspective, is unpredictability.

Example. With a battery good for two charges, say like the above location, 150kWh, 19.2kW feed. Suppose four cars arrive at the same time. The first two cars get 75kW, and are gone in under an hour. The next two cars get 9.6kW, and are there for 7+ hours.

Which is why I suggested sites with intermittent, low usage like U.S.50 in Nevada. There just isn't much traffic of any kind along there, let alone BEVs. If you get higher or more frequent usage then these aren't going to be suitable.

I see EV Connect has installed one in Middlegate, the sort of location I had in mind - of course, like many if not most EV Connect rural sites, maintenance seems to be limited to non-existent.

I'm not going to plan to use these sorts of stations in trip. Single unit per location likely, alternatives likely scarce, all red flags. For a rural area, I'd rather have a 50 Amp AC location. Sure, I know I'm spending the night, or most of a day, but I can plan in advance. And an AC location is 99+% reliable. These are called "RV parks", and they exist widely already. Can usually book in advance.

I'm not going to rely on sites with single chargers either, but for me RV parks and the like are emergency backups as I have no desire to stay at one. Plus, many of the ones in the areas I go are fully booked up months in advance, so you'd need to do likewise.

Now, isn't a horrible idea, for the rural location. Infrastructure can be very expensive in remote locations. Some things are missing, at least now. Some type of app or web real time battery SOC status would be very helpful. Also the ability to reserve some of that energy. If I know the battery on the station is empty, I'm not going to bother. If the battery has 50kWh available, and I can reserve it, I might stop by. Still needs higher reliability than multiple station locations. 90% is ok, if there are four stations, as the odds of having one working station is 99.99%. With one station, really need 99.99% availability. Or close to it.

The need for standardized, real-time station status communication is part of the fed. infrastructure plan, so presumably reservations could be added.

There are places where solar powered battery storage chargers are likely the best alternative. Example, I-70 in Utah. There is a section 104 miles long with no service stations or electric power other than solar power between Green River UT and Salina UT. Having a solar powered boost charger near the midpoint, under the solar powered street lights of the Eagle Canyon Rest Area. It might well save lives... there isn't much out there. Even with longer range EVs rarely needing it.

Nothing says you couldn't combine these with solar; after all, Tesla and others have done that with some sites, albeit with common battery banks rather than individual ones built into each charger. The advantage of the latter is flexibility; you can add or remove chargers fairly easily. Common packs would be cheaper with more chargers, but tend to be more permanent.

The best use case for these might be for a small EV fleet. Your company has two EV vans, and they need quick charging at shift changes? No problem.

I suspect the use case for that is very limited, as most companies that small will only run one delivery shift and charge L2 overnight - having faster L2 (80A) would probably be enough to handle most if not all short turn-arounds if needed during a shift, but odds are they'd just go with packs sized to eliminate any need for charging during the shift. I suppose if you had a rural pizza or other restaurant open long hours using Grubhub/Doordash or the like it might make sense, but how many rural businesses will do that, given the long delivery times and small customer base? Maybe once autonomous (aerial?) delivery becomes common, if it moves outside urban areas.

Forklifts might be another possibility, but that assumes three-shift work at a very small facility, and again that's a rare combination.