Solar/CNG/CBG powered EV charger with integrated battery storage 

Share

Energy management startup Ez4EV (easy-for-electric vehicles) has introduced a battery energy storage system (BESS) integrated EV charging solution that can be used in both static and mobile modes.

The EzUrja solution addresses grid availability constraints for EV charging by tapping decentralized renewables-generating platforms such as solar, compressed biogas, and compressed natural gas as the source of energy input in addition to the grid.

The solution is basically a power bank and a charger on a vehicle. You can prebook it through an app, locate and demand charge as per your requirement, timing, and location. The solution is mobile in that the battery bank can be charged at a decentralized energy generation station and taken to the EV, Ashhok Kapoor, the chief business officer at Ez4EV, told pv magazine.

“In India, charger availability is one aspect, but ultra-fast charger availability is still a little faraway story because of grid issues. If you look at electric buses, 9-meter buses require a 120 kW charger, and 12-meter buses require 240 kW. Providing 240 kW chargers is a challenge in cities,” said Kapoor. “The grid must be equipped to handle a significant rise in peak loads due to the use of fast chargers for EVs. So, we decided to innovate EzUrja EV charging product localized for the Indian scenario. This solution gives the electric buses the juice they need mid-way to complete their routes once they leave the depot. They don’t have to travel back to recharge.”

The EzUrja solution-in-a-box uses a specially designed engine to convert CNG into electricity, an inverter for converting electricity into a DC component, and a DC-DC charger.

US-based C4V is a back-end investor in the EzUrja project. It provides lithium-ion cells for EzUrja chargers. The lithium-ion cells are being manufactured at its 1.8 GWh factory in New York.

“C4V was exploring the application of their battery chemistry, which they developed together with a Nobel laureate. It found a good match in our ultra-fast EV charging concept that is localized for the Indian scenario,” said Kapoor.

This content is protected by copyright and may not be reused. If you want to cooperate with us and would like to reuse some of our content, please contact: editors@pv-magazine.com.