ChargePoint’s new Level 2 chargers are faster and go both ways

ChargePoint is acceptable to velocity things up. 

On Thursday, the EV charging institution revealed caller AC Level 2 EV chargers that it says efficaciously treble the velocity of emblematic Level 2 chargers. The caller architecture besides supports bidirectional charging, truthful owners tin usage their EVs to powerfulness their location oregon concern if the request arises. The archetypal caller models are expected to get successful the US aboriginal this year. 

ChargePoint says its next-gen Level 2 chargers are rated for 90 amps and tin present 19.2kW of power, allowing EV owners to complaint their batteries from zero to 100 percent successful “about 4 hours.” This is simply a noticeable summation based connected today’s market.

Level 2 chargers are commonly utilized arsenic location chargers for EV owners, plugged into 220-volt outlets and delivering 15 to 80 amps. The charging complaint for astir Level 2 chargers tin alteration dramatically, with a emblematic 240-volt, 24-amp portion putting retired astir 6kW of continuous powerfulness and faster, 80-amp chargers delivering speeds up to 19.2kW. ChargePoint’s fashionable Home Flex chargers, for example, are rated for 50 amps and 12kW of power. Today’s announcement represents a “generational leap” successful the exertion that powers its chargers, the institution says.  

The institution envisions its caller architecture being utilized for a assortment of purposes, from residential location chargers, to chargers with aggregate plugs for flat buildings, to nationalist chargers and chargers for commercialized fleet owners. ChargePoint didn’t merchandise a terms list, but the institution said that prices volition commencement beneath $1,000 and determination up from determination depending connected the model. The institution supports some CCS and NACS ports.

Bidirectional charging is often considered the adjacent large happening for EV owners. Several EVs sold contiguous person bidirectional capabilities, and now, ChargePoint is producing chargers with the aforesaid abilities. 

Bidirectional charging works precisely similar it sounds: with unidirectional (one-way) EV chargers, energy flows from the electrical grid into the electrical vehicle; with bidirectional (two-way) EV chargers, energy tin travel some ways. In essence, it treats high-capacity lithium-ion batteries not lone arsenic tools to powerfulness EVs but besides arsenic backup retention cells to complaint different electrical devices, an full home, oregon adjacent to nonstop powerfulness to the electrical grid for imaginable vigor savings.

Several automakers are selling their ain vehicle-to-home (V2H) charging instrumentality truthful that radical who ain EVs with bidirectional charging capabilities tin usage their vehicles to powerfulness their homes during blackouts. ChargePoint says its caller Level 2 chargers tin bash the aforesaid job, allowing EV owners to powerfulness homes oregon commercialized buildings oregon transportation vigor backmost to the grid. 

The caller chargers besides diagnostic dynamic load balancing, automatically accelerating charging speeds erstwhile powerfulness is not needed elsewhere successful the residence. And they volition beryllium capable to integrate with astute location systems, similar star charging, location batteries, and astute absorption systems. 

In addition, the hardware has been importantly upgraded, ChargePoint says. The caller Level 2 chargers volition diagnostic bid wiring capabilities, enabling a fleet depot, a multifamily lodging garage, oregon adjacent a single-family location with 2 EVs to maximize charging without costly work upgrades. 

According to the company, ChargePoint possesses 61 percent of the nationalist Level 2 charging market, making it a ascendant subordinate successful the EV charging space. The institution says the caller architecture complies with applicable regulations, including the Measuring Instruments Directive (MID) and Eichrecht successful Europe and Energy Star successful the US.  

ChargePoint plans to rotation retired its caller Level 2 chargers starting with Europe this summer, followed by North America astatine the extremity of the year.