News

Siemens To Cut Charging Time for EVs with New Charging Point by 50%

March 02, 2011 by Jeff Shepard

Siemens is planning to launch a charging point Charge CP700A on the European market which can charge electric cars with a normal battery capacity within an hour. The charging power has been doubled to 22 kW in the new series, which cuts the charging time in half.

"When developing the new charging point, we set ourselves three objectives: Charging must be fast, easy to do and safe. And these objectives were achieved in full", said Ralph Griewing, Head of the electrical mobility team of Siemens Energy.

The Siemens Charge CP700A charging point can be used to charge electric cars of different power ratings. In the fastest operating mode, the vehicle is supplied with a three-phase AC voltage at a current of 32 A, and is therefore charged at a power level of 22 kW. Charging is, however, also possible at 20 A in the three-phase mode. The charging point communicates with the vehicle over the charging cable to determine whether the electric car supports charging at maximum current or only at a reduced current level. The standardized IEC-62196 Type 2 connector is used for this. For vehicles such as electrically powered two-wheelers which are currently charged through a household plug, single-phase charging is also possible in Mode 1 and 2 in accordance with the IEC/EN standard 61851 at 3.7 kW maximum.

"To make charging as easy as filling a car with fuel, we have equipped the charging point with a screen that guides the user through the process. The ambient lighting indicates whether the charging point is in use or available", said Griewing.

The user can log on for charging and subsequent billing by means of contact-free radio chips compatible with various RFID standards. The customer can decide which variant of the charging point is to be installed and how the stainless-steel housing is to be painted. The Charge CP700A charging point is of modular design and its user prompting is programmable and available in different languages. The charging point can also be linked to a control center over Ethernet or a GSM/GPRS modem that can be built in, meaning it is ready for remote monitoring and remote maintenance. The charging behavior of the charging point can also be remote controlled to support implementation in a Smart Grid. For this purpose, among other features, dynamic load shedding is supported.

"Siemens remains uncompromising as far as safety is concerned: In addition to normal locking of the connector as protection against unauthorized removal during the charging process, the charging flap on the column is also locked", said Griewing.

When opened, the internal space behind the flap is illuminated to ensure that the user can plug and unplug the cable safely even in darkness. The Charge CP700A charging point carries the CE mark and has been approved by an accredited laboratory. It complies both with the currently applicable standards for electric vehicle supply equipment, including IEC/EN 61851-1 and IEC/EN 61851-22, and with the well-proven low-voltage standards such as EN 61439. The temperature of the socket outlets and the internal space of the charging point is monitored. In the event of a fault, or in the case of unfavorable ambient conditions that would result in overheating, the charging point automatically interrupts the charging process safely and reliably.