Over the past few years, electric vehicles have surged in popularity and capabilities, helped significantly by energy shortages causing petrol and diesel cars to become more expensive to run.
However, one of the biggest concerns and complaints about EVs is the length of time it takes to charge them, combined with so-called “range anxiety” or the fear of not having enough electric charge for a driver to reach their destination.
There are a few potential solutions to this that are being developed:
- Bigger batteries to increase range.
- Battery swapping capabilities to make it faster to get a fully charged battery.
- Faster charging stations.
The latter has become a particular fascination of homeowners and businesses alike, and the purpose of many electricians taking an intensive course is to develop the skills to safely wire or rewire a building to accommodate a faster EV charger.
However, whilst most home chargers allow for a full charge in around 12 hours, a new set of flash charging stations claims to be able to charge an EV in less than five minutes.
What are flash chargers? What makes them so impressive? And why are they so complex to install?
What Are Flash EV Chargers?
The Flash Charging network, innovated and developed by Chinese manufacturer BYD, is a series of extremely fast, high-powered EV chargers that can boost a car’s range by hundreds of miles in mere minutes.
Already established in China and soon to be rolled out in the UK, BYD’s Flash Charging works due to carefully designed batteries which can take extremely high levels of charge and an almost unfathomable level of power at around 1500kW.
For comparison, a plug socket at home provides around 2.3kW of charge, a typical wallbox provides 7kW of charge, a typical rapid charger you would find at a supermarket or car park provides up to 100kW of charge, and an ultra-rapid charger provides up to 350kW.
The Flash EV charger can recharge a car up to five times faster than the fastest chargers currently available in the UK and Europe.
Which Cars Can Use Them?
The Flash Charging network was specifically designed for cars with the newest incarnation of BYD’s flagship Blade battery system.
Specifically, the Flash Charging station’s full capabilities can only currently be used with one car: the Denza Z9GT, although, as with other ultra-rapid charging cars, this range will likely increase as the stations are rolled out.
Why Are Flash Charging Stations Difficult To Install?
The sheer high voltage of the charging station requires the use of specialised equipment and wiring systems, which combine with batteries and charging stations that can efficiently transfer extreme levels of power without causing damage to the battery or being compromised by cold conditions.
This is part of the reason why only 300 are set to be part of the initial rollout, with others following based on the success of the initial strategy and how many more cars will become compatible with it.
It is unlikely to end up in many workplaces and even fewer homes until more efficient forms of charging become more widely disseminated.