Bosch offering sub-$10K 24 kW DC fast charger for North America; SAE J1772 DC Combo connector
07 July 2015
Bosch Automotive Service Solutions has introduced the Power DCPlus DC fast charger in North America, starting at less than $10,000. Using the SAE J1772 DC Combo connector, the 24 kW Bosch Power DCPlus will charge compatible EVs to 80% in less than 30 minutes. The station has been approved by General Motors and can be ordered through GM’s Dealer Equipment Program.
|
|
By offering a 24kW DC Fast Charger, Bosch has positioned its Power DCPlus as a high-value, physically smaller alternative to larger, more expensive 50kW options while still significantly improving charging times versus Level 2 AC charging stations. By complying with the SAE J1772 DC Combo standard, Bosch has aligned with most major automakers offering EV’s with DC fast-charging capabilities.
The Power DCPlus is also ChargePoint network-enabled, allowing electric vehicle drivers to access the stations with a ChargePoint card and determine station availability in real-time.
In contrast to the AC-based Level 2 charging stations widely available, including the Bosch Power Xpress and Bosch Power Max family, DC Fast Chargers supply power directly to a vehicle’s battery, resulting in a faster charge. AC stations supply power into a vehicle’s onboard charging system, which must then be converted into DC power to charge the vehicle’s battery.
Bosch’s Power DCPlus is significantly smaller than other DC fast chargers, resulting in lower installation costs and the flexibility of wall or pedestal-mount configurations. In June, ChargePoint introduced its own compact 24 kW Express 100 compact DC fast charger (earlier post).
The Bosch Power DCPlus requires a 480V 3-phase input with 24 kW output to charge compatible EVs to 80% in less than 30 minutes. The station is 31"H x 19"W x 12"D, weighs less than 150 pounds (68 kg), and features a rugged indoor/outdoor-rated IP54 enclosure.
Good news for most PHEV and short range BEV owners who want to go further on e-energy.
A unit with 4X the capacity would also help extended range BEV owners on longer trips.
Quick and very quick chargers will not be a road block. Many more will be marketed by 2020 or so.
Posted by: HarveyD | 07 July 2015 at 10:02 AM
Most PHEV drivers won't be able to make use of this charger, the only PHEV that offers high speed DC charging is the BMW i3.
> By complying with the SAE J1772 DC Combo standard, Bosch has aligned with most major automakers offering EV’s with DC fast-charging capabilities.
The lack of a single standard for 20-50kW DC charging is really a travesty. Until automakers align with a single standard, these DC units should support both Combo and CHAdeMo. At very least adapters should be cheap and widely available.
Posted by: electric-car-insider.com | 07 July 2015 at 10:22 AM
As corporate and government fleets gear up for 200 mile EVs due the next few years, lower power quick chargers will become a lot more common. Running a 100kW main and then having four quick charging stations is probably the most economical route for EVs that need to be charged quickly (full charge in 3 hours, 100 miles in 60 minutes).
Posted by: Anthony F | 07 July 2015 at 03:41 PM
3 hours for a full charge and 60 minutes for a quick charge???
Anything above 5 minutes is a slow charge, isn,t it?
Posted by: HarveyD | 07 July 2015 at 06:16 PM
You will be driving at 25 Kw on the motorway at close to normal motorway speeds so this provides a 1:1 charge to drive ratio.
If you have a Leaf, you could expect to charge it to 80% in say 48 minutes. Thus, you could hop along a motorway in 50-60 minute sections, unless you drive at 55mph.
This suggests that current BEV cars (Tesla excluded) are currently not suitable for long runs, even if you have a series of well spaced (say every 50 miles) charge points.
You probably want a 2 hour drive between charges and a 4:1 drive - charge rate - Thus, a 50 KwH battery and a 100 Kw charger for long runs - a bit expensive at present.
So just rent/swap into an ICE for long runs and use the BEV for to 90 % of your runs that will be short ones.
Many people will already own an ICE so use that for the long runs and the EV for the short runs. More to the point, many people will live within 400 yards of someone who would be prepared to swap cars for a couple of days / year.
Posted by: mahonj | 08 July 2015 at 06:30 AM
Well said, Mahonj. The use case for these 25kW chargers are shopping centers or other locations that want to attract customers for an hour or two. Outlet malls on the edge of a metro area, or in town where a 30-60 min charge doubles your daily range and allows you to continue running errands around town all day.
Or light duty fleets that perform document delivery or home based services. Charge once at lunch and have an effective 160 mile daily range at ~$1 gallon equivalent.
Posted by: electric-car-insider.com | 08 July 2015 at 09:13 AM
The GM Spark EV also uses CCS DC Combo fast charging. All Euro and American companies have signed on to this system, with VW the next manufacturer in the US to include DC Combo fast charging.
Posted by: DL | 08 July 2015 at 10:49 AM
Doesn't this imply that a large % of EVs use the same operating voltage? I thought this varied by brand from ~450v to ~600v, and then there are the micro hybrids w/much lower voltage bats. It also means a different plug standard and two sockets in each car - one for AC and one for DC.
Posted by: william g irwin | 09 July 2015 at 04:22 AM
The SAE Combo delivers both AC and DC charging through one plug.
Posted by: electric-car-insider.com | 09 July 2015 at 10:00 AM