Gravity Technologies, a startup company, has recently launched a new 200kW curbside Distributed Energy Access Point (DEAP) that is no bigger than a conventional Level 2 charger – but 30 times faster. This charger is certified by UL Solutions and can be mounted on street utility poles, making it easy to deploy in large numbers.
It uses the same advanced technology as Gravity’s record-setting indoor charging systems, which require no utility upgrades or street reconstruction and can be deployed by the thousands.
Cities like New York, Boston, and Los Angeles are planning to build new curbside EV charging networks. Currently, slow Level 2 AC charging infrastructure dominates curbside charging in urban areas. However, one of the challenges that EV drivers face is the slow AC chargers that require 8-10 hours for a full charge. This means that cities would need a dedicated charger and parking spot for every EV’s overnight charging, which could potentially lead to a waste of scarce street space and time.
The new advancements in technology that can help make charging electric vehicles more efficient and convenient. Gravity Technologies is looking beyond slow-trickling Level 2 chargers with a fast-charging solution called the Distributed Energy Access Point (DEAP), which is designed to be installed on metered curbs in busy areas of the city.
Gravity’s new curbside DEAP units can deliver charging speeds up to 960 mph (1,545 km/h), adding 200 miles (322 km) of battery range in just 13 minutes. These speeds mean chargers can be deployed on metered curbs in the busiest parts of a city, where drivers might not have the time to make a dedicated trip just to charge their car.
These DEAPs can provide multiple charge sessions per day, helping to maximize parking space usage and minimize downtime for drivers. Overall, this seems like a really innovative solution to help support the growing number of electric vehicles on the road.
The new DEAP seems to be a significant improvement over the previous TIC 01 chargers, as they offer twice the speed and are only slightly larger in size at 18 x 9 x 27 in (46 x 23 x 69 in).
“An urban parking spot is valuable real estate. So is people’s time. If cities install slow, outdated chargers at the curb, they’re wasting people’s time and blocking the ability to fully utilize the latent potential in parked EV batteries. Gravity was the first to bring DEAP-speed to indoor charging, and now we’re doing it again on city streets. There is nothing else like these 200kW chargers on the curbside anywhere in America. Cities like New York should lead from the front with nothing short of the most advanced technology in the world,” said Moshe Cohen, Founder and CEO of Gravity, Inc.
Gravity’s DEAPs are a revolutionary technology that offers lightning-fast charging for electric vehicles and so much more. These advanced charging stations allow for two-way power flow, where energy can be sent from parked cars’ batteries back to nearby buildings and the electrical grid, creating a more sustainable and resilient energy system. By deploying DEAPs on curbside locations, we can transform our streets into an essential component of a new, clean power grid that provides affordable, reliable, and eco-friendly energy for everyone.
Each curbside unit is mounted on a smart pole or city utility pole, and the DEAP box itself is not much larger than a parking meter and is tamperproof. It is said to require no utility upgrades or street reconstruction, and the retractable cable is easy to plug in and return.
