- Alpitronic’s new megawatt chargers are sleek and efficient.
- They’re currently being tested at the company’s North Carolina headquarters.
- Megwatt chargers are way faster than existing stations, with some charging batteries from 10-80% in 7 minutes or less.
Italian charging hardware provider Alpitronic is testing its new HYC1000 megawatt chargers at its North American headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company confirmed today. The chargers can deliver up to 1,000 kilowatts of power to a single port for semi trucks, and up to 600 kW for passenger EVs. That’s way beyond what the fastest-charging EVs in the U.S. can currently accept.
Still, the technology could usher in a new era of ultra-fast charging in North America and encourage automakers to roll out newer EVs capable of charging at higher rates. Charging is one of the bottlenecks in mass adoption of EVs, but such high power systems can make it as seamless as refueling a gas car.
In a recent video from the Out Of Spec Reviews YouTube channel, Alpitronic Americas President Mike Doucleff explained how exactly the HYC1000 chargers work, what’s different from other large charging networks, and how EV drivers will benefit from the tech.
For starters, Alpitronic is one of the fastest-growing charging hardware providers in the U.S. In just a couple of years, it has inked deals with several leading charging networks like Ionna, Walmart, Mercedes-Benz High Power Charging, Electrify America, and BP Pulse. Those networks have already deployed hundreds of Alpitronic HYC400 chargers nationwide and continue to do so at a rapid clip.
The newer HYC1000 charger takes things further. The megawatt dispensers are slim and tall rectangular units, with each capable of holding two cables. They support the Tesla-style NACS cables, CCS cables and the Megawatt Charging Standard (MCS) cable for heavy duty trucks; they can be configured with either of these combinations depending on the network provider’s needs. They also have swinging arms at the top that carry the cable weight, a vehicle-facing touchscreen to display charging details, and a card reader.
Each tower has two plugs, both of which can simultaneously deliver up to 600 amps and a 1,000 volts, which translates to 600 kW of power. The fastest chargers in the U.S., like the Tesla V4 Superchargers and the Gravity Charging Center in New York City, top out at 500 kW. No EVs in the U.S. can accept that sort of power at the moment. The Porsche Cayenne Electric, BMW iX3, and Lucid Gravity all top out at about 400 kW.
Photo by: Alpitronic
The modularity of these chargers is also impressive, at least on paper. The chargers can be configured to deliver 1,500 amps and 1,000 volts with the MCS standard. So one location could have semi trucks and passenger EVs charging at the same time, depending on how the site is designed and the combination of available plugs. The company also worked with Mercedes-AMG to develop a special version of the HYC1000 capable of delivering 1,000 kW to a passenger EV. The Concept AMG GT XX peaked at 1,041 kilowatts during a test run in Italy last year.
Furthermore, the dispensers’ distributed power delivery is fascinating. The main cabinet consists of eight 125 kW silicon carbide power modules, capable of powering eight individual charging towers. Each of these 125 kW modules in the cabinet is further subdivided into 62.5 kW units for a more precise distribution of power depending on the demand at each stall.
Alpitronic HYC1000 Distributed Megawatt Charging
Photo by: Alpitronic
For example, if a Chevy Equinox EV that peaks at 150 kW and a Hyundai Ioniq 5, which can charge at up to 350 kW, are parked adjacent, the charger can deliver those speeds precisely. It can match that demand without wasting a single tower’s maximum capability on a car that can’t use it. Moreover, EVs usually need their full charging power at a low state of charge, which then tapers off to slower speeds as charging progresses, which makes such smart power management even more beneficial.
To be fair, Alpitronic isn’t the only one doing this dynamic load balancing. Tesla, ChargePoint, and Electrify America have all adopted similar approaches.
That said, megawatt charging is already getting democratized in China on mass market models from BYD and Geely. Plus, Alpitronic isn’t the only company rolling out megawatt chargers in the U.S. Tesla has started rolling out its Megachargers for the Semi, and Kempower is planning to do the same for electric semi trucks.
However, it’s starting to look like this tech could also someday trickle down to passengers EVs in the U.S., which would be a big win for EV adoption.
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