Charging company Gravity on Wednesday unveiled a new design for EV charging stations that it believes will be the foundation of a vast urban fast charging network.
Named the Distributed Access Energy Point (DEAP), the charger takes the form of what Gravity calls a “tree,” a taller structure in which the charging cable dangles from an extended arm (or would that be the branch? ) looks like the swivel arm at a self-service car wash like anything from nature.
According to Gravity’s press release, the cable swings down from a hinged arm, then raises back up when charging is complete. This means no need to worry about tripping over cables lying on the sidewalk.
Gravity curbside EV charger
Gravity also claims that no utility upgrades are needed to grow these plants, but they are still capable of 200 kw or 500 kw, which can add 200 miles of range in 13 minutes or 5 minutes respectively. If Gravity—requires available charging locations at the garage is the fastest in America—can carry out their plans, so they will soon become a common sight in urban areas.
“Gravity is working to develop an on-street DEAP charging network that is more expansive than Tesla’s current Supercharger network.” And based on the company’s claims, the DEAP charger will be more powerful than Tesla’s Urban Superchargers, which tend to have lower wattages than commuter chargers.
Until now, curbside chargers like these have been relatively rare in the US. EVgo added a number into its network starting in 2019 and now Other companies like Voltpost aims to build Level 2 chargers where apartment residents can charge overnight or in a matter of hours.
Gravity curbside EV charger
Roadside chargers can help make electric vehicles practical for people who don’t have a driveway, garage or other place to install a charger at home. But relying on public street parking can present challenges, such as internal combustion cars clogging chargers, cars idling without charging for long periods of time, and needing to work with city governments to coordinate the installation of parking rules.
If some states have difficulty distinguishing the difference between the infrastructure needed for gas stations versus EV charging stationsAs was the case in Kentucky, this could be a difficult road ahead for companies like Gravity.
