Skip to main content

EVgo adds second-life batteries to charging system

EVgo has added second-life BMW i3 batteries to its Union City fast-charging station in California to help store energy during peak solar hours and reduce strain on the grid. This energy is then used to deliver a fast charge to EVgo customers’ electric vehicles during periods of high demand. The second-life battery system integrates two BMW i3 battery packs into a single housing. Evgo says each battery pack has a capacity of 22kWh which combines with a 30kW inverter to offer a 30kW/44kWh energy storage
October 15, 2018 Read time: 1 min

8881 EVgo has added second-life BMW i3 batteries to its Union City fast-charging station in California to help store energy during peak solar hours and reduce strain on the grid. This energy is then used to deliver a fast charge to EVgo customers’ electric vehicles during periods of high demand.

The second-life battery system integrates two BMW i3 battery packs into a single housing.

Evgo says each battery pack has a capacity of 22kWh which combines with a 30kW inverter to offer a 30kW/44kWh energy storage system.

Princeton Power Systems provided the inverter hardware and integrated it with the battery packs. Meanwhile, technology company Kisensum developed software controls for the battery system and managed software integration.

The EVgo Union City site began operating earlier this summer and currently has two 50kW DC fast chargers.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Wi-Fi win-win for mass transit
    October 31, 2014
    David Crawford explores passenger and operator benefits of on-board Wi-Fi Urban commuters’ growing demand for continuous – and reliable - internet connectivity is spurring network operators into the rapid installation of high-grade Wi-Fi access on their surface and underground networks, as well as in their stations. Such moves are often a key part of strategies to maintain and increase ridership levels.
  • More for less with traffic control centre technology
    May 31, 2013
    Rich pickings are now available in a maturing market supplying screens and processors for traffic management operations. Jon Masters reviews what’s on offer. Competition in supply of technology for traffic management and control centres has increased significantly in recent years. Suppliers introduced better products and customers are changing the way they operate, which benefits traffic authorities and emergency services alike. These are the views of Electrosonic’s control rooms solutions sales manager Pa
  • Veefil fast EV charger launched
    May 10, 2013
    Queensland company Tritium has launched Veefil, an electric vehicle (EV) fast charger, designed to take up minimal space, allowing several to be installed in a small area. Developed in Australia as part of a US$2.3 million project funded with matching support from a federal government grant, the company claims Veefil can charge an EV around twenty times faster than a conventional wall outlet, accommodates two plug styles and is weather sealed for outdoor use. Tritium claims that a ten minute charge can prov
  • Carrots are proving cost-effective in Netherlands
    October 3, 2018
    There are lessons to be learned from congestion avoidance schemes in the Netherlands. David Crawford welcomes some new thinking in road pricing. Highway operators worldwide are being urged to learn from Dutch experience in using financial carrots rather than sticks to encourage drivers to avoid contributing to congestion. A Netherlands/UK group makes a convincing cost/benefit case in a new global survey of road pricing technologies, economics and acceptability. Representing the Rijkswaterstaat section of