The availability of Level 3 charging will be an important step in bringing emission-free electric vehicles to the mainstream, the company said.
According to the company, charging stations that provide 240V, called Level 2 chargers, can take less than half the charging time of 120V outlets, or Level 1 chargers. Typically, an 8- to-10KW battery needs three or four hours at Level 2 to be completely charged.
Andy Kinard, president of Car Charging Group, said: “Charging at 480V will reduce charging times from as long as overnight to less than an hour, perhaps as little as 15 minutes. 15 minutes is only slightly longer than it takes to fill up a tank with gasoline.
”The deployment of faster and more efficient charging stations that eliminate range anxiety are necessary in order to ensure the adoption of the estimated 40 million plug-in electric vehicles expected on the roads by 2030 according to a study on the PHEV market conducted by the National Academy of Sciences.”
Mr Kinard, added: “Car Charging strives to provide the ability for the electric vehicle owner to have charging services in public areas. The addition of a stand-alone gas pump-type station that has a comparable charge time to traditional gasoline fueling will create a revenue stream for gas station owners and better accommodate urban areas with little or no off-street parking. It is anticipated that the level 3 charging stations will be available in third quarter of 2010.
