The perfect solution to EV charging

The European electric vehicle (EV) market is growing 37% year on year and is set to be worth over Euro 140 billion by 2027. Here in the UK, the rate of growth is even steeper-a staggering 78% year on year.  At time of writing there are 520,000 on our roads.

Impressive numbers. Good news for car manufacturers and even better news for the planet. There is a headache though. Meeting public EV charging demand. Publicly-accessible high-power charging stations are thin on the ground and about to get far too thin to support the growing reliance on them. So there’s a burning platform here to deploy a lot more and very quickly. However, this isn’t straightforward.

High-power charging stations typically dispense power direct from the electric grid into the vehicle. Meaning each charging station must be permanently connected to high-voltage power and require associated infrastructure. Which in turn restricts the location in which each can be placed as well as bringing considerable cost in both installation, operation and ongoing energy demand. These costs have made scaled roll-out prohibitive to date.

“Tharsus is the engineer’s contract manufacturer.  They’re as expert at problem solving as they are at manufacturing.  They resolve issues before they become problems.”   

— Martin Lynch, COO, FreeWire Technologies

 

California- based EV charging manufacturer FreeWire Technologies has created the perfect solution. Aptly named Boost Charger™, their units dispense charge from an integrated 160 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, rather than the grid directly. Meaning dramatically reduced installation cost, in weeks not months or years, 5x faster speed of deployment and compatibility with ubiquitous existing infrastructure, as units can be used in rural areas where access to such high-voltage power is low.

Given the significance of the UK and European markets and a significant UK customer in BP Pulse coming on board, FreeWire recognised the importance of working with a UK-based manufacturer to successfully deliver their product into them, before going on to support them in what will be a prolonged period of exponential growth. So they turned to Tharsus.

About FreeWire

Founded in 2014, FreeWire Technologies is a global electric vehicle (EV) charging and energy solutions provider and a leading manufacturer of ultrafast, battery-integrated EV charging stations and power solutions. FreeWire’s fully integrated Boost Charger™ plugs into existing and ubiquitous low-voltage utility service and delivers high-power charging in areas that typically require extensive grid upgrades. The Boost Charger’s proprietary battery and power conversion technology enables ultrafast EV charging at all locations, freeing customers from the high costs of EV charging directly from the electric grid. FreeWire’s technology is deployed across Fortune 100 companies, commercial and utility customers, fleets, retail locations, and gas stations across the U.S. As the world seeks to electrify with the urgency it demands, FreeWire is a trusted partner to conventional fuelers –both small and large– supporting their entrance into the EV charging market and increasing the availability and reliability of EV charging across America.

BP Pulse has signed an exclusive Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with FreeWire Technologies to deploy its Boost Charger at its UK operations.
If finalised, this initial agreement could be valued at over $50 million (£38 million) and is set to help support BP Pulse’s goal of operating 700 or more ultra-fast public chargers by 2025.