Largest ultra-fast EV charging station goes live in Beijing; supporting electric buses out of Xiaoying Terminal
07 December 2015
China State Grid has built and opened the largest ultra-fast EV charging station in the Chaoyang district of Beijing. The 26,500 m2 EV charging complex at Xiaoying Terminal has 25 chargers at 360 kW and 5 chargers at 90 kW, offering fast capacity for 30 urban transit buses at the same time.
Future facility and charging point expansions are already planned out for 2016-2020 to accommodate more routes converting to fast charging electric vehicles.
Xiaoying Terminal originally supported a natural gas hybrid bus fleet; more than 10 major city bus routes departing from the terminal have completely converted to fast-charging electric buses.
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| Foton electric bus equipped with Microvast LpCO battery system. Click to enlarge. |
As an example, Beijing transit route 13 is using Foton buses using fas charging battery technology from Microvast. Each new bus takes only 10-15 minutes to complete recharging the battery. Charging each bus takes place 2-3 times per day, during driver breaks, with several route loops between each charge.
Compared to an earlier battery swapping system adopted by Beijing to experiment on improving electric bus operating efficiency and reducing down-time, the ultra-fast charging battery and charger system needs neither the investment and large storage space footprint for extra batteries, nor high cost complex with automated robotic battery pack swapping infrastructure, bringing obvious advantages to customers and utility companies with more rapid ROI.
Microvast is a leading ultra-fast charging battery technology innovator & manufacturer based in Stafford, TX, focusing on ultra-fast charging li-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EV) and battery energy storage systems (BESS). Microvast has supplied more than 6,500 units battery system for electric and hybrid commercial vehicles worldwide.
State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) is the largest electric utility in the world. For distribution, it has subsidiaries in Northern, Northeastern, Eastern, Central, and Northwestern China. It was ranked seventh of the world’s largest companies by revenue in the 2011 Fortune Global 500 list.
Regardless of what many posters claimed as impossible, ultra fast very high capacity chargers will soon become common place, to quickly charge future extended range BEVs, equipped with 200+ kWh battery packs.
Why so any posters misjudged REs, batteries and chargers rapid evolution?
Posted by: HarveyD | 07 December 2015 at 07:58 AM
This is a but with a 300kwh battery. It can take 360kw charging. We need 360kw charging for a car with a 100kwh battery. That would be nice but it will not come until after 2020. It will come though. So 15 minutes is possible after 2020.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 07 December 2015 at 08:03 AM
Porsche has a charger that brings a battery to 80% in 15 minutes, which is quite good enough.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 07 December 2015 at 01:36 PM
Henrik is on the right track, 360 KW and 720 KW higher voltage DC chargers and near 200 kWh BEVs will hit the market place between 2020 and 2025 or so.
Posted by: HarveyD | 07 December 2015 at 02:14 PM
China is the World's largest fossil fuel user and the largest polluter. I'm for anything to move them off fossil fuels. E buses with fast charging makes a lot of sense.
The size of the current wiring for these chargers must be huge.
Posted by: Lad | 08 December 2015 at 05:28 AM
Lad the picture shows they use two rather thick cables probably 180k watt each to get to 360 k watt. I wonder what voltage they use 400 or 600 or maybe even 800?
Posted by: Account Deleted | 08 December 2015 at 07:29 AM
Very large battery packs could easily be temporary split into 2 or 3 packs during quick charging. Dual or triple cable and higher voltage connectors (or other connection means) are not a real challenge.
Three existing 300+ KW chargers could effectively charge a large battery pack at 900+ KW rate (today) and do much better in 5 to 10 years. .
Posted by: HarveyD | 08 December 2015 at 08:43 AM
I have to wonder why some people think that it's easier to make two 150 kW chargers and ports than a single 300 kW charger and port.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 08 December 2015 at 09:01 AM
EP it is a real problem to handle a very thick cable. So they make two that are thinner.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 08 December 2015 at 10:07 AM
You only need thick cables to handle high currents without active cooling. Either cooling or higher voltage will push more power without overly-thick cables.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 08 December 2015 at 11:01 AM
I know but one step at a time. They did 360k watt now. That is better and then take a few more years to ready cooled cables and a few more to increase the voltage. Tesla has a few supercharger stations where they use thin active cooled cables for 120k watt. I expect a larger rollout when the durability and cost of that system is perfected. I am sure Tesla will not let Porsche roll out 300k watt charging in 2020 without trumping it with something else. The competition among real BEVs with long-range and real fast charging will only really start after 2020. It takes time.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 08 December 2015 at 12:07 PM
Trains, aircraft and ships often use multiple standard power units to avoid extra large single units.
High capacity charging stations could use a similar approach, until such time as very high capacity single chargers and cables become available at an affordable price?
Posted by: HarveyD | 08 December 2015 at 03:32 PM
Similar multiple units approach is used for Hydro turbines, Wind turbines and solar panels.
Posted by: HarveyD | 08 December 2015 at 03:34 PM
The electric distribution line that comes to me is, I think, 7200 V. 300 kW @ 7200 V is less than 50 A, easily handled by a 6 AWG wire.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 09 December 2015 at 04:16 AM
Yes, most problems already have solutions or solutions can be found. (good health, lack of fresh water in many places, less pollution and lasting social peace may be exceptions)
Quick charging batteries/ESS is a short term challenge. Solutions will abound in the next 10 years or so. By then, affordable extended range BEVs and very quick charge public stations will be common place.
The new Norwegian advanced e-ferry recharges very quickly from shore batteries without affecting the local grid.
Posted by: HarveyD | 09 December 2015 at 08:49 AM
By the way, our huge (pad mounted) main step down transformer is fed with 25,000 VAC via an underground cable for the last 30 years. Not sure what size of insulted cable is used. Must be a good one (cable) because it never failed.
Grossly overdesigned for the current load but may be appreciated with the arrival of EVs?
Posted by: HarveyD | 09 December 2015 at 10:25 AM
TOKAMAK Energy of UK claims that a 5th generation fusion reactor can be built within 5 years and commercial units by 2050.
Posted by: HarveyD | 09 December 2015 at 10:26 AM