VW’S Electrify America Will Use Tesla Battery Packs at 100 Charging Stations

Electrify America Adds Tesla Battery Storage to More Than 100 New Charging Stations.

Volkswagen Groups Electrify America plans to buy and install Tesla Powerpack battery systems at more than 100 of its electric vehicle charging stations in the US over the course of 2019.

The battery systems will be deployed to mitigate higher power demand charges and manage operating costs by avoiding or reducing demand and energy charges during peak charging periods.

Each site will consist of a 210 kW battery system with roughly 350 kWh of capacity. With a modular design, more capacity can be added over time.

“Our stations are offering some of the most technologically advanced charging that is available,” said Giovanni Palazzo, CEO of Electrify America. “With our chargers offering high power levels, it makes sense for us to use batteries at our most high demand stations for peak shaving to operate more efficiently. Tesla’s Powerpack system is a natural fit given their global expertise in both battery storage development and EV charging.”

The Electrify America charging system features the first-ever certified cooled-cable 350 kW chargers in the United States. A 350 kW charger can theoretically charge a vehicle at speeds up to 20 miles per minute – seven times faster than today’s most commonly used 50 kW fast chargers.

As Electrify America continues to build out its network with this technology, it will continually work to develop and deploy innovative solutions to bring down the operating cost of fast charging, providing sustainability to the grid and reliability to drivers.