In addition to being able to have a charging station at home, the main wish of owners of electric vehicles is also to be able to charge their car as quickly as possible to drive as long as possible in complete autonomy.
Ultra-fast charging stations, i.e. those that offer very high power (over 43 kW) allow you to take advantage of these advantages. Given their characteristics and the existing constraints regarding their installation in private homes, these ultra-fast charging stations are not yet accessible outside the charging areas made available in the public domain. However, the current strong development of electric vehicles and the technical progress at work in this area will make it possible in the more or less near future to offer individuals this type of high-performance charging station.
What is an ultra-fast charging station for the home?
Charging stations, also called wallboxes, the most used by owners of an electric or rechargeable hybrid vehicle, represent much more efficient charging systems than if you plug your car into a simple electrical outlet at home. Charging stations ensure maximum security for the electrical network of the house and, above all, they allow you to recharge your electric vehicle in a short time.
The time required to recharge his vehicle depends on the power of his charging station, which must also be adapted to the capacities of the battery of his electric car. Wallboxes are offered on the market mainly in 3 powers: 7, 11 and 22 kW. We are talking here, for the most powerful of them in particular, of fast charging stations.
But there are also so-called “ultra-fast” charging stations. These charging systems have the particularity of offering a power greater than 43 kW, a power which can go well beyond for certain models. These charging stations are roughly equivalent, in terms of high performance, to the charging points accessible to the general public or to professionals that can be found, for example, in the public domain. Their charging time is very fast: around 30 minutes (sometimes only a few minutes even) when the fast charging terminals require around 3 hours for some.
Ultra-fast charging stations are perfect, given their performance, for the autonomy needs of drivers who travel long distances.
Ultra-fast charging stations are aimed at individuals whose electric vehicle must meet certain conditions. Indeed, the vehicle, and more precisely its battery, must be adapted to be able to receive the high power of these ultra-fast charging points which make it possible to recharge a vehicle in record time.
These ultra-fast charging stations, 43 kW, 50 kW, or even up to 350 kW, deliver alternating or direct current and require, for some of them, to equip their installation with specific fast-charging sockets such as a CHAdeMO socket, which allows direct current charging of the battery of electric vehicles equipped with it, or a combined charging system, the Combined Charging System (CCS), equipped with connectors called “Combo”.
Can you equip yourself with an ultra-fast charging station for your home?
Ultra-fast charging stations are most often available in areas dedicated to charging electric vehicles available to the general public on public roads, on major highways, in service stations, in shopping center car parks or public, in companies with a large fleet, etc. These high-performance charging systems indeed require significant civil engineering work and as regards their connection to the electrical network.
These constraints mean that it is currently impossible for an individual to install an ultra-fast charging station in their home. Moreover, current domestic electrical installations do not have the capacity to withstand such powers and to deliver the type of current required.
Nevertheless, owners of electric cars who wish to take advantage of a minimum recharging time can turn to charging stations with a power that can still go up to 22 kw, if their car allows it, and which already represents fast and comfortable power in use.
But, given current progress, it will also be possible in the near future for individuals to acquire ultra-fast charging stations. Indeed, due to the strong development of the electric vehicle market for several years, car manufacturers of this type of car (Renault, Volkswagen, Tesla, Hyundai, etc.) in particular are working on the deployment of ultra-fast charging stations that it will be possible to easily install in private homes.
Current and future technological innovations will certainly make it easier in the near future than today to equip individuals wishing to install an ultra-fast charging station in their homes.