When it comes to Level 2 EV charging, not all stations are the same. When I had a car that could only charge at 6.6 kW, it seemed like anything more was wasteful. After all, 6 kW was enough to charge in far less time than it took me to sleep, and if I needed anything faster, I could go to a Level 3 station. But, when I switched to my Chevrolet Bolt EUV, my opinion quickly changed. Not only did I find that a 48-amp station was very useful for unusual days at home, but I also found an 11.5 kW station at a small town in Texas while I stopped to eat, and eliminated the need for a far more expensive Level 3 charging stop.
After figuring out the real value of 11.5 kW charging, I have to admit that I’m a little jealous of some European EV drivers. With three-phase wiring, it’s not uncommon to find AC charging stations that provide up to 22 kW of power, making for charging times that start to approach Level 3 DC speeds. That kind of speed might not be great for road trips, but for charging while grocery shopping, watching a movie, or other errands, it makes a lot of sense. For some drivers, public fast L2 charging could even be a viable option when charging isn’t available at home.
So, I was glad to see that two companies announced a partnership to bring even more of that fast L2 charging to European cities and towns. Autel Energy, a company that makes EV charging equipment, announced a collaboration with, Vattenfall, a European electric utility that also operates InCharge, a large European charging network. Autel’s strategic partnership with Vattenfall will culminate in the much wider use of Autel’s new MaxiCharger AC Compact to the European market.
“We are excited to partner with Vattenfall to bring our industry-leading EV charging solutions to their extensive charging network,” said Ting Cai, CEO of Autel Europe. “Our strategic partnership with Vattenfall not only marks the exciting debut of Autel’s AC Compact in Europe, but also heralds an elevated level of collaboration between Autel and our strategic European partners.”
As part of the collaboration, Autel Energy will install Maxicharger AC Wallbox and Maxicharger AC Compact equipment in Vattenfall’s charging stations throughout Germany. The Maxicharger AC Wallbox offers adjustable charging and is compatible with all EV and Hybrid Plug-in vehicles via the standard European plug. More importantly, even the Maxicharger AC Compact version supports up to 22 kW AC charging. Even though it’s over three times faster than most L2 EV charging stations, it’s compact, lightweight, and easy to install and maintain.
According to Autel, collaborating with Vattenfall will enable Autel to expand its user base across Europe. Leveraging its advanced expertise in EV charging technology, Autel’s PR people say the aim is to deliver an exceptional charging experience and strengthen Autel’s position as a prominent player in the industry.
But, the company says it won’t stop there. Getting a key partnership in Germany is just one step along the company’s stated goal of “powering the planet”.
Featured image provided by Autel.
