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Introducing a quick charger for EVs that can be used in emergencies

One day in late June, after the state of emergency was declared, the author was driving a Leaf driven by EVsmart blog editor-in-chief Yorimoto. I visited "Bell Energy" in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture. It was triggered by the announcement from Bell Energy on the EVsmart blog that they will release a quick charger "Roadie" to rescue electric vehicles (EV) that have run out of power.

From last year to this year, heavy snow has caused a series of large-scale stranded roads. In December 2020, more than 2,000 vehicles were involved in the Kanetsu Expressway, and in January 2021, more than 1,500 vehicles were involved in the Hokuriku Expressway, and the Self-Defense Forces were dispatched.

At that time, I often saw negative remarks, mainly on the Internet, that if an EV got stuck and ran out of power, it wouldn't be possible to help. Engine cars can be refueled, but if EV runs out of electricity, there is nothing you can do about it. Even engine-powered vehicles can get stuck in the snow and worry about exhaust gas poisoning.

And the lack of electricity is certainly not without concern. Gasoline can be stored in a portable can, but electricity cannot be stored. As will be described later, the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) has only one power supply vehicle, but the idea is that it is difficult to operate.

The portable quick charger "Roadie" seems to solve such a problem. I clapped my hand to see if there was this hand.

That's why I went to Bell Energy, which sells Roadies. The location is Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture.

When Editor-in-Chief Yorimoto stopped Leaf in the underground parking lot of the building where Bell Energy is located, Bell Energy Fellow Hiroo Kawai appeared with a "roadie" on a dolly as if he had been waiting. .

Let's connect to Leaf now. "Roadie" is compatible with the CHAdeMO standard, so connection is easy. When you insert it into the connector and press the main switch, the indicator lamp lights up and communication starts. Charging started immediately.

Possibility of a stand-alone quick charger

I decided to charge the battery while I was interviewing. In addition to Mr. Kawai, Mr. Hitoshi Haginoya, Executive Officer and General Manager of Finance Department of Bell Energy, and Mr. Eric Teshima, Manager of New Business Department, also responded.

Bell Energy was originally established as a subsidiary of Bell Circuits Group Inc., headquartered in the United States, but became independent in 2006 and changed its name to "Bell Energy Co., Ltd." in 2015. Until then, we had mainly been doing business with solar power generation, but in 2017 we invested in FreeWire, an American company that develops and manufactures EV chargers, and entered storage battery and EV-related businesses. I started importing and selling equipment.

Currently, in addition to the newly released "Roadie", we are handling a portable EV normal charger "Mobi L2", a portable storage battery "Mobi Gen", and a rapid charging system for EVs that does not require a cubicle. Such as the Boost Charger. I would like to see them one by one.

First, let's talk about the new Roadie. Developed by SparkCharge, a startup company based out of Boston, Massachusetts. Looking at the location on the map, it is located a few kilometers from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and I have an image that some excellent people will gather there.

The feature of "Roadie" is that it can be easily charged anywhere, regardless of the location, with quick charging compatible with the CHAdeMO standard. The unit consists of a controller section equipped with a CHAdeMO connector and a battery section with a capacity of 3.5 kWh. You can use one battery unit, or you can connect up to 4 units up to 14 kWh.

A standard set of one controller unit and two battery units is sold for 1,980,000 yen (excluding tax). The battery unit alone can be purchased for 660,000 yen (excluding tax). Of course it's a lithium ion battery.

Connections are easy, just stack the units on top of each other. If you use it for emergency power supply, if you prepare multiple battery units, you can charge multiple EVs simply by rearranging them. The weight of the battery unit is about 30 kg, so it seems that even one person can hold it. By the way, Editor-in-Chief Yorimoto was able to carry and connect by himself.

The maximum output during charging is 20 kW, so it is calculated that about 3.3 kWh in 10 minutes and about 5 kWh in 15 minutes. In the case of an EV with a power consumption of about 5 km at 1 kWh, charging for 10 to 15 minutes will give you a range of about 17 to 25 km.

Conversely, when charging the "Roadie", 4 hours at 100V is a guideline.

Bell Energy will start accepting reservations for "Roadie" from July 1st for corporations. It will take some time to ship from Boston by sea, but according to Mr. Teshima of Bell Energy, it can be delivered in about two months from the time the order is placed.

If it is a "Roadie", it can be easily installed in a mini vehicle even with three battery units, so a large and expensive power supply vehicle is unnecessary. I hope it will become a necessity for road service in the future.

A portable normal charger that makes sense after hearing how EVs are used in advanced countries

Next, let's move on to the portable EV normal charger "Mobi L2". Developed by FreeWire Technologies, headquartered across the San Francisco Bay from San Francisco Airport. By the way, Bell Energy not only invests in FreeWire Technologies, but also handles specification changes and customizations for Japan during product development.

FreeWire Technologies is a start-up company, but it has received investment from ABB and bp, etc., and it seems that it will play a major role in the expansion of rapid charging facilities that bp is promoting.

Actually, when I heard about "Mobi L2", I had a question, "Where would you use it?" I thought there was a quick charger for rescue use, but what is the purpose of a portable normal charger that takes a long time to charge? That's what it feels like. But when I heard Mr. Teshima's story, I was convinced, and at the same time, I was surprised that "EV advanced country is amazing!"

According to Mr. Teshima, 70% to 80% of the cars in shared parking lots of Google, Facebook, Microsoft, etc. are already EV. It's not uncommon for American parking lots to have multiple chargers installed, and parking lots used by the top three companies in the IT industry are sure to have many chargers, but they're parked. It's a different story when most cars are EVs.

In order for EV users to take turns using the limited chargers, they have to move their cars. If you do that, you will spend 20 to 30 minutes a day, which is a huge number of hours when you consider the number of employees. In fact, it seems that employees at Google and others were going back and forth between the office and the parking lot every day to move the car.

That's where Mobi L2 comes in. According to Mr. Teshima, a full-time part-time staff member runs the "Mobi L2" to charge the EVs in the parking lot.

Mobi Workplace Charging (YouTube)

The Mobi L2 has a battery capacity of 80 kWh and two 6 kW standard charging connectors (SAE J1772) that can be charged at a maximum of 12 kW. In addition, since it can run by itself with a remote control, it is not difficult to go around the parking lot. The EV does not move, but the charger moves. It's a mobile charging service.

In addition to this, there is also "Mobi Gen" that can be used not as a charger but as a storage battery that can take 100V or 200V. Basically, instead of the charging connector of "Mobi L2", it is equipped with an outlet that can take 100V or 200V.

Teshima says he saw dozens of kitchen cars lined up in a Google parking lot using Mobi Gen electricity. I see, this is also a convincing story. Google's parking lot is exceptional, but for large events, for example, there will be a large number of stalls, and the event itself will also use electricity. "Mobi Gen", which does not make the buzzing sound of the generator and emits no exhaust gas, seems to play a role in creating a green image.

A quick charger that greatly simplifies construction

I will also introduce another new facility handled by Bell Energy. Like "Mobi L2" and "Mobi Gen", it is a quick charger "Boost Charger" developed by FreeWire Technologies. The biggest feature of this quick charger is that it does not require a high-voltage power receiving facility (cubicle), and it is an all-in-one unit equipped with a controller, payment terminal, etc.

One of the bottlenecks of quick charging facilities is the large construction cost. Installing a cubicle costs several million yen for installation work in addition to the main unit. Of course you also need a place for the cubicle.

On the other hand, the "Boost Charger" is equipped with a lithium-ion battery inside the main unit, and can be charged while maintaining a low-voltage power supply contract, eliminating the need for a cubicle. The battery capacity is 160 kWh, and for Japan, it is equipped with two CHAdeMO standard connectors, and if you charge two units at the same time, you can output up to 60 kW x 2 for 120 kW, and if you charge one unit, you can output up to 100 kW. By the way, in the UK and other places, it supports CHAdeMO and CCS2 (combo), and in the case of CCS2, one unit can be quickly charged at a maximum of 120kW.

The built-in battery is the same as the Leaf battery. Envision AESC and FreeWire Technologies, which produce the Leaf's batteries, announced a battery supply partnership in December 2020. According to Mr. Teshima, the battery produced at Envision AESC's Tennessee factory is used.

As I mentioned earlier, FreeWire Technologies is backed by energy giants bp, ABB, and others. bp is investing in FreeWire Technologies to expand its public fast-charging network through its subsidiary bp pulse and convenience store ampm.

According to Mr. Teshima, bp installs a quick charging facility at an existing gas station, but if you want to make a conventional facility, it will be necessary to close the station for about a month for construction. is. However, with the "Boost Charger", the installation of the main unit can be completed in about 3 hours if the foundation work of the installation site is completed first.

Since there is no need for a cubicle, the space efficiency of the gas station is also high, and since it is a low-voltage power contract, the electricity bill is cheaper than a high-voltage power contract, and running costs can be reduced.

In Japan, Bell Energy will customize the product and a contracted distributor will undertake sales and installation. On June 18, 2021, the Nikkei Shimbun reported that Enechange, which operates an electricity and gas rate comparison site, will start selling the "Boost Charger."

Billing supports both hourly and volumetric billing, and if you use the specified metering system scheduled to start in April 2022, you can use volumetric billing in kWh units. For payment, it is equipped with a credit card (currently VISA and Master) scan and contactless system such as FeliCa, so it is a nice part that you can use it without membership registration.

According to a release from Enechange, pre-orders have started from June 21st. Energy change proposes a rate plan for equipment owners, and depending on the content, it is possible to start a quick charging service with a basic charge of 0 yen.

In addition, Bell Energy, the importer, is currently considering acquiring a CHAdeMO test. If you can get certified, you will be able to take advantage of government subsidies, which will significantly reduce installation costs.

So, by the time I got home from the interview, the "roadie" had finished charging. The remaining battery power is restored to 70%. No more charging on the way home. It was a day that once again made me realize how easy it is to charge an EV on the go, making it even more convenient to use.

Various charging methods change mobility

On a different topic, the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) explained at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's "Car Policy Review Meeting for Carbon Neutrality". According to the materials, out of the total 5804 road service cases for EVs in 2020, 573 cases of EV power outages accounted for about 10%. However, the percentage of electricity shortages has been decreasing year by year, from 17.8% in 2016 to 9.9% in 2020.

However, the number of EV roadside services has increased from 3547 in 2016 to 5804 in 2020, so the number of outages has not decreased significantly from 631 in 2016. Rather, there were more than 700 cases from 2017 to 2019 before the coronavirus, and there was a tendency to increase (handout on April 16, 2021 *PDF).

According to JAF documents, the only way to rescue an electric vehicle is to transport it to a quick charging station. There is one power supply vehicle, but it seems that it is difficult to operate due to problems such as relief locations, the price of the power supply vehicle, and running costs. Supplementally, depending on the EV, if you install the drive wheels and tow it, it may break down, so lifting is essential. If you have all wheel drive you may need a loader.

The JAF materials were published after the large-scale stranded snow, so it is speculated that they were taken up as an issue for the spread of EVs. It's been months since the meeting, but the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry hasn't released the minutes, so I'm frustrated that I don't know the exact content.

If it were pointed out that the lack of electricity in an EV during a disaster is more of a problem than the lack of gas in an engine vehicle, it would likely be used in a negative campaign. However, with the "Roadie" and "MOBI L2" introduced this time, the problem of power supply during rescue seems to be solved considerably. There is no doubt that it will be a rebuttal to negative opinions on the spread of EVs.

Apart from that, looking at the current state of quick charging facilities in Japan, it is undeniable that they are outdated because they were installed early. I'm here. We hope that new technologies like the 'Boost Charger', which saves on installation costs, will overcome the challenges of the past.

I am happy that a technology useful for the formation of social infrastructure, which is the foundation for the spread of EVs, is coming to Japan. That's it. If technological development expands the range of charging methods, it is likely to become a tailwind for the revolution of mobility.

(Interview and text / Ryuitsu Kino)