Load balancing is more than just an efficient way to distribute power to charging EVs. It can enable charge point operators (CPOs) to use less-than-optimal power feeds by maximizing available power capacity, save on electricity costs, and help them charge more vehicles overall. Here’s how.

What is Load Balancing?

Tritium chargers use advanced load balancing algorithms to dynamically and efficiently distribute power among EVs in a charging hub. Load balancing provides the right amount of power to EVs at the right time. EVs don’t all charge at the same rate, and they don’t charge at the same rate over time from 0% to 100% battery capacity. EVs typically draw maximum power early in charging when they have a low state of charge to preserve battery health. Load balancing algorithms provide only the power each EV needs, leaving the rest of the available grid power to charge other EVs in the hub.

Electricity versus hydrogen: 4 reasons electrification is the right choice for fleets

Owing to its higher energy density and lower weight, hydrogen has been touted as a potential alternative to electricity for powering zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty trucks for long-haul fleets. However, transitioning to hydrogen as a potential fuel source for these types of vehicles faces challenges that may outweigh any potential benefits.

Here are some of the reasons electricity is a clear winner for fleets.

1. Availability

Electricity is everywhere. With the rise of charging infrastructure in cities, along highways and at depots, motor pools and even drivers’ homes, access to charging is becoming increasingly more convenient for fleets of all types and sizes.

Hydrogen infrastructure is not yet in place. There are currently few hydrogen refueling stations in operation (nearly all are in California), and the cost of building and managing them is high. It would take a significant investment to build out a nationwide hydrogen refueling network, and it isn’t clear there is enough demand to justify the investment.

More and more hotel and resort guests drive electric vehicles (EVs), and many guests rent EVs to get around while they’re in town. Soon EV fast chargers will be standard at many hotels and resorts, but today adding a charger or two to your property can set you apart from the competition, attracting EV drivers and guests who want to drive EVs during their stay. Here are some benefits to installing a charger at your hotel or resort.

Offer EV Charging to Guests

About 12 percent of cars in Europe and about 5 percent of cars in the United States are electric and more people are buying EVs than ever. EVs will become more common and eventually ubiquitous as many governments around the world enact bans on the sale of new petrol and diesel-powered cars.

By providing a DC fast charger, hotels and resorts can offer a valuable service to guests who drive electric cars, helping them recharge their EVs quickly and get back on the road. Many hotels also provide EV charging as a concierge service, parking the guest’s car and charging it up for their next adventure.

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is a law that provides nearly $370 billion in climate change investments to help reduce carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2030. It provides significant tax breaks for businesses that purchase new medium and heavy-duty electric vehicles (EVs) and new chargers.

These include:

• A Clean Commercial Vehicle Credit for 30% of the difference between the cost of the clean vehicle and its gas-powered counterpart – up to $40,000 per medium/heavy duty commercial EV

• An Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit for 30% of total costs of purchase and installation of charging equipment—up to $100,000 per charger

• A renewal of the existing $7,500 Clean Vehicle Credit for passenger and light-duty vehicles

• A Previously-Owned Clean Vehicles Credit of $4,000 or 30% of the vehicle sale price (whichever is lower) for used EVs

The IRA tax credits will start after December 31, 2022, and end after December 31, 2032. Businesses can use the credits after receiving other grants or rebates like NEVI funding. These credits, along with many other grants and programs, make electrifying your fleet in the US more affordable than ever.

By Tritium

In June 2023, Ford and GM announced they’d be switching from the Combined Charging System (CCS) to Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) connectors for their future EVs. Less than a month later Mercedes-Benz, Polestar, Rivian, and Volvo also announced they’d support the NACS standard for their US vehicles in the coming years. The switch to NACS from CCS seems to have complicated the electric vehicle (EV) charging landscape, but it’s a great opportunity for charger manufacturers and charge point operators (CPOs). With NACS, CPOs will be able to charge more than 1.3 million Tesla EVs on the road in the US.

What is NACS?

NACS is Tesla’s previously proprietary direct current (DC) fast charging connector standard—formerly known simply as the “Tesla charging connector.” It has been used with Tesla cars since 2012 and the connector design became available to other manufacturers in 2022. It was designed for Tesla’s 400-volt battery architecture and is much smaller than other DC fast charging connectors. The NACS connector is used with Tesla superchargers, which currently charge at a rate of up to 250kW.

What is the Tesla Magic Dock?

The Magic Dock is Tesla’s charger-side NACS to CCS1 adapter. About 10 percent of Tesla chargers in the US are equipped with Magic Dock, which lets users select a CCS1 adapter when charging. EV drivers need to use the Tesla app on their phones to charge their EVs with Tesla chargers, even when using the Magic Dock CCS1 adapter. Here’s a video of the Magic Dock in action.

Aloha Charge, a National Car Charging company based in Honolulu, announced today that it will be providing all the DC fast charging hardware and software for the first round of the State of Hawai’i’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program funding.

In September 2022, the Federal Highway Administration approved Hawai’i’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan, granting the state access to $2.6 million of NEVI funding in FY2022. As part of their NEVI deployment plan, HDOT is utilizing its existing contract with Sustainability Partners, a public benefit company mandated to form reliable and enduring partnerships with public institutions for the advancement of their critical infrastructure.

“Hawai’i is recognized nationwide and around the world for its commitment to sustainability and has long been at the forefront of the e-mobility transition,” said Tritium CEO Jane Hunter. “We’re not surprised to see the state act so quickly to ensure their community benefits from the emissions reductions that a rapid technology transition to electric vehicles secures. The NEVI funding is designed to ensure this transition occurs quickly and equitably, and Tritium is pleased to partner with the state and its representatives to bolster Hawai’i’s EV charging infrastructure.”

HDOT is using the initial round of NEVI funding to procure eight Tritium NEVI systems, totaling 32 PKM150 (150kW) chargers and 16 power units. The chargers were procured for HDOT by Sustainability Partners from the National Car Charging subsidiary Aloha Charge and will be equipped with software developed by EV Connect, an EV charging management solutions provider. These fast chargers are expected to be the first funded and installed under the NEVI program.