Electric vehicle charging infrastructures is among the most important part of the value chain for the world to fully shift to electric-based transportation. However, the process of developing and installing them poses significant challenges.
As experienced by efficient vehicle enthusiast and writer Jennifer Sensiba, the lack of charging infrastructures significantly inconveniences EV owners.
Hidden utility costs
Ms. Sensiba shared via CleanTechnica that she thought of finding a Level 3 fast charging station supplier and hiring a qualified technician to link it to the grid. Then, she planned to find a company to manage it so she could finally access a more advanced charger than Level 2 chargers. However, she realized that it was not as simple as it sounded.
The EV enthusiast noted that it would also be challenging to source sufficient energy for a mid-speed unit. She cited utility firms’ warnings that there would be significant costs, mostly for the person paying the energy bill. They apparently told her that the wait would take six months or even a year.
Moreover, having a Level 3 fast charger also requires a monthly fee for your peak power consumption based on the highest 15 minutes of energy use.
In that sense, a mere 50 kW charger would cost more than $600 monthly. Meanwhile, a station with many 100+ kW stalls would be charged a minimum of $2400 per month because it is calculated per kilowatt.
All that said, there is no wonder why El Paso had no DC fast charging stations. In 2017, Tesla finally deployed its Superchargers in the region, followed by Electrify America in 2019.
Potential solution
Energy solutions provider Jule claims to have discovered an innovative approach to address the challenges and the hidden utility costs of EV fast charger installments.
It suggests utilizing a more practical grid connection to charge batteries than direct from the electrical grid, such as battery storage systems. In effect, EV owners can still replenish their batteries even without the charging station’s providers paying monthly utility fees.
As you can see in the graphical presentation provided above, this approach can enable station owners to save money and serve customers faster.
Considering that demand charges usually surpass $4,000 per month for two chargers with a capacity of 150 kW, the savings become even more significant with Jule’s proposal. According to a sample scenario provided by the company, the cost dropped to just $1,240 per month and was even greater for larger charging stations.
“While it’s still a lot more expensive than I thought back when I first got into EVs, they show that the cost can be brought down a lot closer to earth. By using battery storage in conjunction with a DC fast charger, the lower cost is something businesses of any size can more easily afford.”
Efficient vehicle enthusiast and writer Jennifer Sensiba
Apart from the cost savings, it will also significantly support the local electrical grid. It can also provide more dependable charging services to customers through buffering without electrical upgrades.
Moreover, it can accelerate the installment process to just around three months and eliminate utility costs.
