© Gravity Inc.
While, currently, the fastest electric cars to charge only accept ” 350 kW on ultra-fast charging stations (at least those capable of delivering such power), a new generation is arriving. For context, as noted by our colleagues at Frandroid, the manufacturer CATL has just announced a battery allowing the charging speed to melt in waters similar to refueling on a thermal.
Enough to hope in the near future for the arrival of new models that can be recharged in less than 10 minutes on compatible terminals. The American startup Gravity Inc. does not want to miss this opportunity.The latter has already installed a charging station in the middle of New York with a unit power per charger that can go up to 500 kW.
The startup Gravity plans to revolutionize charging in the city
Of course, this power may seem a little useless at this stage. But this could allow this young company to position itself in a booming vein, including abroad. Enough to convince players like Google Ventures to finance the firm. However, to be sure not to miss the boat, it now plans to directly install charging stations on certain sidewalks in the Big Apple.
These chargers, which the firm describes as “trees” (or trees in French) will be universal, and can therefore be used by all types of electric vehicles. The firm instead wants to dedicate them to the charging of very high-end vehicles, with charging “more expensive than that of the current Tesla Superchargers network”.
Nevertheless: the possibility of charging your car in a few minutes, right in the street, is undoubtedly one of factors that can convince many more drivers to switch to electric. The advantage of Gravity Inc.'s technology is that these chargers can be, according to the firm, installed “easily” – while remaining as discreet as possibles.
They are in fact very slender and painted, which can allow them, for example, to resemble other elements of street furniture. Very concretely, the cable is normally stored (automatically) on the top of this kind of pole.
When the user swipes their card, an arm tilts at the top, while the fairly long cable unwinds to reach the charging port. Once charging is complete, the cable stores itself on the top of the terminal. Enough to avoid at the same time incivility, and the danger of falling that can be represented by somewhat long cables dragging on the sidewalk during charging.< /p>
The firm is aiming for a first modest deployment of these terminals, initially only in the United States. The precise operation of 500 kW ultra-fast charging and the electrical infrastructure necessary to install this type of terminal remain a mystery for the moment.
- The startup Gravity Inc. plans to soon install ultra-fast 500 kW charging stations directly on the sidewalk.
- The terminal itself, of a new type , looks like a pole.
- It is aimed at all vehicles, while allowing the firm to position itself for the next arrival of electric cars that recharge in minutes.
📍 To not miss any news from Presse-citron, follow us on Google News and WhatsApp.
[ ]