Fast charging + EV charging infrastructure
Revisiting fast charging (and will continue to write about it) because it is very important!
Fast charging battery startups: Prieto has (re)entered
Since its founding in 2009, Colorado State University spinout Prieto has come out of sort-of-stealth mode with their latest significant rebrand and a huge claim of a full charge in 3 minutes1. It's particularly noteworthy because the claims put Prieto’s battery capable of THE highest fast-charging rates in the world, surpassing almost every other company’s claims. We wrote about Prieto a while ago.
In general, there are several key issues hindering extreme-fast-charging including:
insufficient electrolyte transport properties
cracking of the cathode particles
lack of infrastructure (up to 6-9C in order to deliver <10-minute charge)
Recently, we tracked 40+ different companies which explicitly state some innovation and claim in the fast charging space, from materials development to software algorithms to charging infrastructure. A handful of companies have claimed the capabilities of a sub-10-minute charge to charge from 0 to 80%. These include companies like Enovix, Enevate, Amprius, Storedot, Ionblox, Echion, Tyfast, BatteryStreak, and Nyobolt working on various anode materials, companies like GBatteries working on software charging algorithms, companies like Gaussion working on the battery pack and charging equipment design, companies like Quantumscape working on solid-state electrolytes, and EC Power working on thermal pre-heating.
Looking at charging infrastructure
Fast charging will continue to be important in driving the widespread adoption of EVs. Some reports cite it as the #1 factor for EV adoption and our readers think so too.
However, in addition to advancements in battery tech, it is imperative to explore the charging infrastructure side. The availability of a well-developed charging network is critical, particularly in regions characterized by dense populations reliant on public charging facilities. Leaders include China (470k public fast chargers), followed by the United States (22k), Korea (15k), Germany (9.2k), and the UK (7.7k). Governments around the world are developing strategies to prioritise and deliver high-power fast charging networks to cater to the growing demands of EV owners and foster sustainable mobility.
Battery and auto companies continue to innovate on the cell, pack, and EV systems level, and governments continue to make substantial investments in charging infrastructure. The US, for example, is looking to have 500,000 total chargers by 2030, while the UK is looking to bring on 300,000 chargers and Europe is looking at 3,400,000. Today, they have 89,000 (18% of their goal), 42,000 (12%), and 370,000 (11%) respectively.
Some EV charging metrics
A relevant metric is the ratio of light-duty vehicles (LDVs) per public charger. Reflecting this, the 2014 Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Directive (AFID) in Europe recommends 10 LDVs per charger in 2020. Furthermore, kW of charging capability per LDV would be even more accurate, and there is a proposed EU regulation to reach 1 kW of charging capability per EV. The proposed regulation reflects an understanding to scale the charging infrastructure's capacity with the growth of the EV market, ensuring that sufficient charging power is available.
Another metric to evaluate charging infrastructure deployment is to look at EVs and chargers per 100k participants. Norway, Luxembourg, Sweden, and the Netherlands are the frontrunners in deploying chargers and adopting EVs in Europe. Adding the US2 and the UK3 to this plot, we’d find them in the late blue “Late Majority” group.
It’s not just about the number of chargers or kW installed
It’s also worth noting that the above high-level metrics don’t actually reflect usage and the behavioural patterns of when and how these chargers are being used. Take a look at London where I’m based. A UK-based charity Possible revealed in a report (Google Doc) more intricate details about the EV chargers in the city, how they were being used, and affecting the roads and people around them.
Some key takeaways from the report:
🚶 It is critical to increase the number of trips taken by walking or wheeling instead of private vehicles to reach climate goals. Achieving this requires removing street furniture, freeing up street space and prioritizing the walking environment for pedestrians. On-street EV charging stations should be placed on kerb buildouts in the street rather than on pavements. Today, only 9 of London’s 32 boroughs have clear charge point planning policies that are in line with best practices, i.e. to site new chargers on kerb buildouts in the carriageway. 15 have no policy at all.
🔋 Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF) has installed 450+ charge points on its pavements to date and has never installed one in the carriageway. 73% of LBHF’s footway installations of charge points do not follow the 2m required for pedestrian comfort and accessibility. 39% have not retained the 1.5m standard which allows a wheelchair user and a pedestrian to pass. If installation targets are met, by the end of 2023 around 1000 new items of street furniture will be installed without following best practices.
One interesting startup working on inclusive EV charging designs in the UK is Trojan Energy where the charging infrastructure is subsurface with a flush connection to the ground. 150 have been installed so far in Camden and Brent, and Barnet has appointed Trojan to roll out 500 more across its highways by mid-2023.
🏛️ The existing frameworks are flawed - installing EV charge points on footways is significantly more convenient and cost-effective for highway authorities compared to placing them on carriageways (in the UK). Funding from the Office of Zero Emission Vehicles lacks criteria for best practice; installation on pavements does not require planning consent while opting for the carriageway entails a statutory consultation process.
Installing EV chargers is an expensive and complicated business. Understanding what sort of chargers to install and when, where and how to set up healthy roads for humans and vehicles is critical.
What fast charging could mean for EVs
Having improved access to fast charging can allow vehicles with smaller batteries to thrive without needing large beefcake batteries like the Hummer EV (212kWh), Chevy Silverado (200kWh), and the Ram 1500 REV (229kWh), which are extraordinarily resource-intensive and way larger than they need to be, and ultimately harmful to the rate of decarbonization. Exawatt x Minviro have our favourite whitepaper that we highly recommend on why pack sizes need to decrease for economic and environmental reasons. After all, the majority of UK drivers don’t drive beyond 10 miles in one journey.
There’s a lot to learn about EV charging infrastructure and the intricacies in each country and region. Business models can still be uncertain for EV charging companies, as MIT Prof Charles Fine describes it as a classic chicken and egg problem.
We’ll continue to keep tabs on fast charging and charging networks.
Some old reading
We have had a lot of new readers since we published these. We first wrote about the landscape of fast-charging solutions a while ago:
and specifically about current collectors and Prieto’s battery tech, along with a few competitors and innovators in the space:
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No public data to look at or evaluate though, so just claims for now.
US: we calculated 39 EV chargers per 100k and 903 EVs per 100k.
UK: we calculated 63 EV chargers per 100k and 1128 EVs per 100k.