ChargePoint and Eaton have developed a DC microgrid charging system that integrates ChargePoint chargers with Eaton-built microgrid hardware. The system accepts on-site DC energy from batteries, solar, or wind and eliminates the AC-to-DC conversion step used by traditional fast chargers. Removing that conversion reduces energy losses and can lower ongoing charging costs by up to 30%. A DC-DC converter remains to mix grid electricity with local storage and renewables, enabling demand shifting and cost optimization by charging storage when electricity is cheap and discharging when prices rise. The design aims to make fleet chargers smaller, cheaper, and more efficient.
ChargePoint has partnered with electrical giant Eaton to offer a new micro-grid charging setup, which it says will make fleet charging equipment cheaper, more efficient and more compact. By using on-site DC energy from power storage systems or renewables, these chargers can reduce ongoing charging costs by up to 30%. The technology cuts out the wasteful AC to DC conversion step, while also allowing users to balance demand with electricity prices, the CEO of ChargePoint told InsideEVs.
ChargePoint has long been an electric-vehicle charging hardware heavyweight. From local utilities using ChargePoint Level 2 dispensers on public infrastructure to private fleet owners operating ChargePoint fast-charging units at logistics hubs, the company quietly powers a large number of electrified vehicles. Now, it's aiming to take its operations to the next level, with its new ChargePoint Express Grid.
The new system-with the chargers built by ChargePoint and the "micro grid" built by electrical giant Eaton-allows charge point operators (like Electrify America or Ionna, for instance) or fleet operators to use a direct current (DC) setup for an entire charging system. DC Microgrids are systems that run entirely on DC voltage, which is what batteries and solar panels use, rather than alternating current, which is what comes out of your household outlets.
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