Page 17 - Fast Forward to a Sustainable Future

needing to be hard-wired, “it actually comes
with a plug, so it simply can be plugged into
a receptacle,” explains Chamberlain. “As long
as the builder has put that outlet in, the
customer literally just takes the Power Max
2 out of the box and plugs it into the outlet.”

FAST, FASTER, FASTEST
From a commercial perspective, the next
frontier of charging is DC fast charging.
According to Chamberlain, a DC fast charger
is 480 volts and puts a direct current into
a battery in lieu of utilizing an on-board
charger. “To give an idea of what that means
from a charging time, we’ll use a BMW i3 as
an example. If you plug it into an ordinary
110-volt outlet, it’s going to take about 24
hours. If you use a level 2 charging station,
it’s going to take three and a half hours,
and if you plug it into a DC fast charger,
it’s going to take about 30 minutes,” she
explains. Bosch has been working with
general contractors for commercial spaces
such as car dealerships to integrate such
CREDIT: BOSCH AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE SOLUTIONS Expanded Choices. The new Bosch joined forces with ChargePoint to increase
technology, including the Bosch Power DC
Plus, into new developments. Bosch has also

the number of public charging stations in
the ChargePoint network. Efforts include
making the Bosch Power DC Plus station
Power Max 2 will include a 40-amp
ChargePoint-enabled, which allows property
variant, which will mean faster
owners to monetize the stations.
charging for the EVs that can
accommodate 40 amps.
CONNECTING THE DOTS
see a lot of these [electric] vehicles,” explains to be the follow up to the original Power Max, Bosch estimates that the amount of EV
Chamberlain. “Someone in South Dakota which at the time it was introduced was the drivers will continue to rise as more mod-
might not see a lot of EVs, and so might be less highest-value level 2 charging station on the els are released and word of mouth spreads
inclined to include a charging station. We’re market,” explains Chamberlain. According about the benefits of driving electric cars.
hoping that through this general education, to Bosch, the Power Max is currently one But everything, says Chamberlain, comes
and as more consumers start buying EVs of the most highly rated and top-selling down to educating the car-driving con-
and builders start seeing those vehicles, they EV charging stations on Amazon. The sumer. “There is this misconception that
really understand why this is an advantage forthcoming follow-up edition will include EVs are slow, and therefore couldn’t be fun.
for them. It truly can be competitive for many unique advantages. “It has a 40-amp But they are definitely fun to drive!” she
those builders who incorporate charging variant, so it’s going to be much faster than says. “And I think the second biggest mis-
stations into new homes.” the current Power Max, which is either 16 conception is range. The average American
or 30 amp,” says Chamberlain. EVs that can drives less than 40 miles per day, making
RISING SALES, RISING EFFICIENCIES charge with the 40-amp variant, such as the them ideal candidates for either a plug-in
As EV sales increase, the market has Mercedes-Benz B-Class, will be able to take hybrid like a [Chevy] Volt or a pure bat-
shifted its focus on finding ways to make full advantage of the new Bosch offering. tery electric like an i3. With a pure battery
the vehicles more efficient. New initiatives Power Max 2 is slated to also be smaller but electric, if you’re driving less than 40 miles
are being crafted, such as faster charging just as efficient as its predecessor; it also a day, you’re never even going to deplete
systems. One such product is Bosch’s new contains an on/off button (to ensure energy half of your battery. Those are the two big-
Power Max 2, which the company is gearing efficiency) and can be easier to install than gest things I often hear, and on which we
up to launch in the fall of 2015. “This is going other EV chargers on the market. Rather than always try to educate.” n

FAST FORWARD TO A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE 17