Siemens unveiled a new sustainable, EV charging concept structure designed for electrifying fleets and high demand charging applications at scale. The new VersiCharge XL concept was created to electrify new or existing parking lots and building structures quickly and efficiently by using a modular, scalable design made in partnership with Nexii Building Solutions (Nexii) using their proprietary, sustainable building material with low carbon footprint.

Credit: Steve Swieter

The solution, which resembles a modern-day fueling station, was developed in late 2021, and then installed in only three days at Siemens’ R&D hub eMobility and North American Headquarters for Electric Products.

This product is the industry’s first EV charging system to house all necessary electrical infrastructure components that power EV chargers in an above-ground, enclosed, and low carbon structure. The above-ground design requires minimal disruption to existing parking lots by eliminating costly, time-consuming, and substantial civics works and reduces on-site construction waste and environmental impact.

The VersiCharge XL concept leverages proven power distribution technologies used indoors at locations such as data centers and industrial facilities and elevates them above-ground in a weather-resistant, outdoor enclosure. With its scaling and versatile capabilities, this concept is designed to be installed to charge large numbers of electric vehicles using either level 2 or level 3 EV chargers in outdoor environments ranging from small office building parking lots to last-mile logistic hubs, and up to a stadium parking lot.

The prototype was created using Nexii’s building material Nexiite, which has comparable properties to concrete with significantly less embodied carbon, as the vertical structure to support Siemens Sentron Busway systems that connect to power the EV chargers. The busway power distribution equipment is manufactured at Siemens’ 540-person manufacturing hub in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Siemens eMobility is providing customers with residential and commercial chargers, charging depots for commercial fleets, and infrastructure systems to power electrified bus lines across several of the largest cities in the country. Recently, the company announced it is expanding its US manufacturing operations to support EV infrastructure in America, producing 1 million EV chargers by 2025.