Car makers join forces

BMW and Porsche are wanting to improve the current electric vehicle, (EV) charge rate to 450 kW in order to enable quicker EV charging. They are already working together with other major automakers, like Mercedes and Ford, on the major Ionity ultra-fast (350kW) EV charging network in Europe. BMW’s ‘FastCharge’ consortium is leading the project. “The collaborative project studies all aspects of fast charging in practical application, aiming to introduce and manufacture the required technologies on an industrial scale,” said BMW in their latest press release.  The project also is hinting at an automated billing process or subscription for customers. This is why, alongside analysing potential capacity increases in the charging process, the project also investigates the prerequisites and processes for the operation of ultrafast charging systems, including an automated registration and billing process for customers.” The German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure supports the project with a €7.8 million grant, which is supervised by the National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Organisation (NOW). They have now confirmed that the bulk of their research will focus on improving charging rates using the existing Combined Charging System (CCS), but at a voltage of 900 volts and an amplitude of 500 amperes for a charge rate of 450 kW. The group sees this charge rate as ideal to charge an average long-range electric car in about 15 mins.