What is an electric station?

picture: cargacar.com

It is an installation on public roads to recharge the batteries of electric vehicles.

We are living in a time of change and transport does not escape this new reality, evolving towards electric mobility. Electric vehicles have been appearing in our lives and they are here to stay, which is why little by little we will see more public charging points in our cities.

The electric station offers a service equivalent to that of a gas station: while at the gas station the tank is filled with fuel, at the electric station the battery is recharged with electricity.

To easily know what an electric station looks like in more detail, we can start by imagining a modern gas station. Now, we remove the fuel dispensers with their hoses and replace them with chargers with their own hoses, only that they do not flow gasoline or diesel, but electric current. Instead of fuel tanks, we have an electrical connection. As the electric station is thought to be the equivalent of a gas station, its chargers provide a fast or ultra-fast charge. That is, it seeks to recharge in the shortest possible time.

Fast charging is one in which the maximum power during recharging is above 22 kW and reaches up to 43 kW (in the case of charging in alternating current, AC) or up to 50 kW (if the charger provides direct current, DC). The other type of charge in an electric station, the ultra-fast charge, is in DC and of a higher power, usually above 100 kW.

Why is power so important?

Charge power is the rate at which power is supplied to the battery. The higher the power, the faster the car battery will charge. For example, if we charge at a fast speed and assuming constant power of 25 kW, it takes two hours to charge 50 kWh. If we switch to charging at ultra-fast speed, for example, assuming a constant power of 150 kW, the charging time is reduced to 20 minutes.

Seeking to satisfy the demands of the growing fleet of electric cars, the development of electric stations addresses two important points:

- Increase the power of the chargers, that is, offer the user a recharge time that is close to that of refueling a combustion car at a gas station.

- Create a recharging network on the road. The goal is to make the use of electric vehicles for long-distance trips a reality. To do this, the charging stations must be distributed throughout the country and with sufficient regularity.

The reality is that the usual recharging of electric cars will be at home, at low power, and during the night. The electric stations will have their own niche: they will be there for road trips, to allow traveling long distances and recharging in the time of a break from the trip.

source: theconversation.com