Operator JomCharge EV Connection (EVC) and Gentari announced updates to DC electric vehicle chargers equipped with Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) technology. The changes are expected to improve the charging experience at these stations – which use the system to bypass insufficient power supply – as increased electric vehicle sales lead to increased demand.

A BESS allows DC fast chargers to be installed in areas without a required power supply, such as R&Rs and highway parking areas, because the battery can be charged slowly when not in use. The stored energy is then used to charge electric vehicles powered by the chargers at up to 200 kW, at least until the battery runs out – at which point the chargers become unusable.

Although such an arrangement was feasible at the time when sales of electric vehicles were limited, the sudden increase in the number of such vehicles on the roads caused problems, particularly during the holiday season or long weekends. It doesn’t take much to completely deplete the BESS: Behrang Southbound Lay-by chargers, for example, are powered by a 300 kWh battery, which would be completely discharged if six electric vehicles with an average battery capacity of 50 kWh were charged. back to back.

The new updates announced by EVC are designed to alleviate this problem. First, the JomCharge app will now display a battery level icon when selecting a BESS-equipped charging station, allowing users to better plan their charging stops. Such chargers will also now impose an 80% state of charge (SoC) limit for each electric vehicle, allowing more cars to use said chargers before the BESS runs out.

Last but not least, the ability to stop BESS charging and channel all electricity from the battery, grid and solar panels to a single charger once the BESS is low or exhausted. This allows this charger to continue charging an electric vehicle at a lower rate of 50 kW with other chargers turned off. The charging station will resume charging the BESS once it is no longer in use.

The updates are currently in beta testing and will be limited to the southbound and northbound Behrang rest areas, and will expand to other BESS-equipped stations once the testing phase is complete. Additional signs will also be installed to highlight shippers that use BESS.

GALLERY: JomCharge Behrang Northbound Lay-by DC Fast Charger

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