RE:RE:EV charging is a Competitive MarketClearly, you don't actually read or comprehend my posts, because I am the only one that mentioned 350KW charging stations on this board and no where in my posts do I mention that DM is in this market. Quite the opposite in fact. So if your going to mention anything that I've posted in your posts, maybe get your facts straight before posting, so as not to mislead others.
I mentioned that DM does not sell 350KW fast chargers, as the probable reason is, is that they are too expensive and does not meet the price range of their clientele. 350KW fast chargers is what you will see at a charging station, constructed by a large company, like you currently see as an existing gas station.
The charging times are documented for those chargers on various vehicles, but those are only for fast charging from 0% - 80%. You don't fast charge past 80% for a variety of reasons. The fast charging times also depends on the size of the batteries for different times too. Some of those times are down around 10 minutes. Weather is also a significant factor, as batteries will charge much slower in cold weather. This is why many EV cars will be built to be able to warm the batteries before fast charging and send a continuous low current through them to keep them warm in the winter when parked. The battery management systems (BMS) of these vehciles will monitor everything and make continuous adjustments for best performance.
As I mentioned, fast charging does not charge past 80% for a variety of reasons. Basically the way a lithium-ion battery is built the internals of the battery need to stabilize after being fast charged and in theory charging to 100% is not good for the battery. Because it will take the same time to fast charge from 80% to 100%, as it does from 0 to 80%, fast service charging stations are going to simply cut of the charge at 80% anyways to get more cars through and save on energy costs. Now you could fast charge past 80%, but extended high voltage time will certainly degrade the battery life and increase the heat in the battery which could lead to salts crytalizing. Heat is a major enemy of batteries. So keep your cell phones off the dash of your car. If you were hooked up to a fast charger and it hit the 80% and continued to charge, it would revert to slow charging (20KW or less) past that point due to the BMS.
Markhamjohn wrote: Krugman wrote:
I always find myself driving to the next nearest station becouse most of the time the charging station is always in use. The gap for charging stations is there and needs to be fully filled. DM's move to increase their charging station will position them well in the EV charging market.
On top of being competitive, EV charging is also a very broad market. I think that many contributors to this board are making unsupported assumptions. They include: 1. By discussing 350 KW chargers, and how fast a car can charge people are discussing Level 3 fast charging and assuming that DM is in this market. In fact most of the EVAR material points towards Level 2 ( slower charging). 2. By discussing the potential revenue stream coming from a charger people are assuming that DM will operate the chargers and sell the electricity. From the limited information given to us so far there is no indication that this will happen. It is more likely that DM will just sell the equipment, install it, and maybe collect an income stream from their software package that manages the process. So my prediction is that DM will not be involved with level 3 charging, will not be selling the electricity and will concentrate on semi - private charging locations such as golf courses and multiple unit garages where level 2 charging makes sense. This is the area they (EVAR) won awards in. This is where DM can differentiate themselves and shine