Power Boosters: Revolutionizing EV Charging for Convenience Stores

Convenience store owners now have a golden opportunity to attract new traffic—by offering electric vehicle (EV) drivers ultra-fast EV charging.

EV drivers on the road want to charge their vehicles quickly. But even the quickest charging session takes up to 15 minutes, and those 15 minutes allow the driver ample time to step inside the store to indulge in high-margin purchases, from refreshing beverages to tempting snacks, increasing store sales.

The question is, can the store’s electric service handle an ultra-fast EV charger? Yes, it can, but with a twist.?

The Avoidable Expenses of Upgrading

A typical standalone convenience store, ranging from small to mid-sized, is usually equipped with an electrical service spanning from 100 to 400 amps. The power supply at 240V translates to approximately 24 kW to 100 kW, powering essential components such as refrigeration units, HVAC systems, lighting, and other smaller devices within the store.

However, a single ultra-fast charger requires at least 150 kW. This is clearly beyond the electrical abilities of the typical convenience store.?

Upgrading the electrical capacity involves collaboration with local utility companies, a process that can be both costly and time-consuming. Charges often reaches hundernds of thousands of dollars exceed $100K and depend on factors such as the distance to the nearest utility transformer, existing electrical infrastructure condition, and local permitting and inspection requirements. Furthermore, the surging popularity of EVs has strained many utilities, resulting in lengthy waiting periods and potential revenue losses during this time.

So how can a convenience store or site owner ride the coming wave of EV growth and the necessary charging without upgrading the current infrastructure?

Ultra-Fast Charging: A Magnet for More Customers

A kinetic power booster, like the ZOOZTER?-100, does not require upgrades and allows owners to defer grid investments while quickly being able to begin offering ultra-fast charging.?

The ZOOZTER?-100 is sustainable, ultra-fast and easy to deploy.

After it is installed, it stores kinetic energy from the grid during off-peak time in flywheels. When the EV chargers needs a power boost, the flywheel decelerates, releasing the stored energy to deliver sustained bursts of high power without overwhelming the grid or incurring hefty demand charges.?

Demand charges potentially account for up to 50% of the total electricity cost for fast-charging EV stations, especially when station utilization is still low, and it can seem prohibitive for a convenience store to offer EV charging. The ZOOZTER?-100’s kinetic flywheel balances daily power consumption allowing owners to reduce or steer clear of demand charges.?

By responsibly managing the energy flow, convenience store owners can provide high-value service to drivers while avoiding the expensive and lengthy process of a grid upgrade. Everybody wins.?

The ZOOZTER?-100 not only benefits the bottom line, it also contributes to a greener future. It supports zero carbon goals through responsible production and consumption using neither toxic nor rare earth materials.