Charging- Full Charge Ahead …VW joins the game

Presently in the marketplace there are three main categories of EV charging…slow, fast and rapid.

Slow units are best for overnight charging and are up to 3Kw. This would normally take 6 and 12 hours for a pure EV or less 2 to 4 hours for a plug in hybrid (PHEV)

Fast chargers are from 7Kw to 22Kw and would normally charge an EV in 3 to 4 hours. ( see our news later in this article relating to the new wall mounted Tesla home charger )

Rapid Chargers will charge a majority of EVs to around 80% in approximately 30 to 60 minutes.

Everyone knows Tesla but more companies are entering the marketplace.

Volkswagen Charging Forward….

Volkswagen recently announced its entry into the electric power business with ‘Elli’, they said:

The Volkswagen Group is establishing a Group company for energy offerings and charging solutions – underlining its strategic goal of becoming a leading provider of sustainable mobility. Elli Group GmbH with headquarters in Berlin is to develop products and services connected with energy and charging for the brands of the Group.

They  say they will introduce their ‘Wallbox’ system for home charging. This is said to be a low cost 11Kw AC  system and will typically take between 5 and 8 hours to charge a battery.

They are also planning a high end 22Kw charging station that can make an electric car into an energy storage system thanks to  bidirectional charging and connection to an energy management system. It will use power created by customers’ photovoltaic systems in the car and use it later in the household or feed it back to the grid and earn some revenue.

Their aim is to have chargers installed at all 4000 of VWs European dealerships by 2020.

And finally they say will also be installing chargers in public spaces with a promise to make the experience better for customers thanks to a digital payment system using a charging card with tailor-made tariffs.

Volkswagen charging at VW Elli charging station