We need to talk about DCFC cable amp rating!
I first spoke about this issue a few months ago in the invigoratingly titled post "EV Voltage architecture and charging speeds limited by amp rating of cables" and I went into the explanation of how the charging powered delivered to a vehicle is dependent on the max amp rating of the charging station cable. I also touched on an issue around NEVI funding and how NEVI calls out the station requirements (150 kW per station), but NOT the amp rating:
"...I'm a little worried whether a provider could meet that requirement with?150 kW to 800V cars only, and offer less to 400V cars. We see that a lot lately, where a station has say a 125 kW nameplate but oh, sorry, the station is capped at 200 Amps so YOU only get 80 kW"
There's a real chance that the initial NEVI sites may be unable to deliver 150 kW to the MAJORITY of the EV's that use them (depending on which stations are chosen by site hosts and the amp rating on those stations). From this Autoevolution article on 800V architecture:
"Currently, besides the Porsche Taycan and the other models built on the same platform, like the Audi e-tron GT, only the Lucid Air, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and the Kia EV6 use the 800-volt architecture. The Hyundai Group’s vehicles demonstrated how the higher voltage approach can be scaled down to more affordable models, without affecting the price."
Tesla vehicles are built on 400V architecture, and since Tesla has released their CCS adapter I think many Tesla drivers are going to pull up to non-Superchargers expecting Supercharger speeds that the stations may advertise, but then be surprised to learn they aren't achieving those speeds due to the cable amp rating on the non-Tesla charging stations.
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Sona Energy is in the process of installing our first DCFC locations! We can put in whatever station we choose over 50 kW, so we're working to design the best solution that has the highest reliability, great ROI and best charging experience for drivers. One vendor we're looking at has an option to upgrade their 200A cable to a 300A (air cooled). Another vendor has the option for a 500A liquid cooled cable! A non liquid cooled cable with higher amp rating may be heavier than a liquid cooled...but a liquid cooled may add future maintenance headaches. BTC POWER provides a nice comparison in their Gen 4 product catalog:
In any case, we want to find the best solution that ensure the fastest speeds to drivers at the highest reliability.
What have been your experiences with this issue or have you found that most people involved with DCFC don't even address it?
Principal at Performance Specialists LLC
1 年Do any Dc fast chargers (level3} operate at less than 200vdc? My diy car has only 168v operating nominal, around 174 to charge.
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2 年Relevant discussion on DCFC cables : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oVvWrUD2Ek
President at LeadingAhead Energy - EV Charging Infrastructure Strategist - Building a Genuine Business in the Energy Transition - BIV 40 under 40 - Sport Fanatic | Triathlon - Hockey - Golf - Ski
2 年Yes!! That is such an issue often times seen from manufacturers wanting to sell products without disclaming or explaining the limitations to clients. 300A rated cable should be the bare minimum to provide at least 120kW to the 400v batteries.
Front of the Meter Solar and Storage Power plants by day, behind the meter virtual power plant by night.
2 年As someone who has been driving a Chevrolet bolt since 2017, and watch 800V architecture cars at Electrify America charger charge in half the time, I think the responsibility falls on the vehicle manufacturer. By selling obsolete technology to customers they are limiting their customer charge times. The problem isn’t chargers, it’s that technology is outpacing the competiton and it’s time for OEM to keep up or be forgotten. 800V charging, ISO15118-20 Plug&Charge, and SAE J2954 Wireless bidirectional charging are what is required to keep up. Autonomous vehicles will force this change as fleet owners seek to monetize moving AND parked cars. Just look at Hertz and Revel. Lucid Motors and Hyundai Motor Company (?????) are offering vehicles that provide the most miles per minute of charge. Tesla was first but it really only matters who sells the most and the bar went from Toyota Corolla to Tesla Model Y. The next vehicle will offer V2V and V2H charging for the residential customer, and V2G for the fleet owners.