A new electric vehicle startup from New York City called Gravity, which is backed by Google, plans to plant a range of ultra-efficient curbside “trees” along the streets of the city to recharge a car battery. Reportedly, the battery will be able to be charged in just five minutes.
This company developed the technology which is already in use at its charging station at a parking garage situated in the city.
CEO Moshe Cohen now wants the city to approve the ‘DEAP Trees’ (Distributed Energy Access Points) concept.
These trees will reportedly fit in metered streets and allow drivers to pull in and park to quickly recharge.
Cohen said, “The constraint is we have to deliver a charge at a speed that’s shorter than the dwell-time. So if you can only be there for 30 minutes, that car has to be charged in less than 30 minutes.”
The cables will also reportedly charge 200 miles (321km) of range in 13 minutes from its 200kW model, and five minutes from the 500kW model.
The “trees” were designed with the help of design firm Rangr Studio, which also designed the hardware used at the station in the parking garage.
This hardware features a maneuverable hinged arm and mounted cable system, compatible with all major EV manufacturers, such as Tesla.
Cohen revealed the long-term goal was to create a network larger than Tesla’s ‘Supercharger’ network.
Rangr revealed the trees were designed to be resistant to vandalism and rough use, focusing on ensuring the cable wouldn’t rest on the ground, and would be capable of reaching any part of the car.
New York City has partnered with Con Edison to install 100 level-2 charging stations across the five boroughs, as well as fast-charging stations.
The New York City Department of Transportation has the goal of installing 1,000 level-2 charging stations by 2025, and 10,000 stations by 2030.
In related news, hundreds of curbside EV charging points are set to be rolled out across NSW as part of a multimillion-dollar government initiative.
Climate Change and Energy Minister, Penny Sharpe revealed the first recipients of the charging grants and announced that 671 charge ports would be installed at 391 sites across 16 local government areas.
She said the A$4.1M investment would be matched by A$8M in private investment.
“This investment will significantly increase the availability of public charging options and give people confidence their next vehicle purchase can be an EV. Almost 30 per cent of NSW drivers do not have access to private, off-street parking to charge an EV. That figure is considerably higher in metro areas. We will continue to roll out EV charging grants to further support the NSW goal of being the easiest place in Australia to own and drive an electric vehicle.”
These chargers are expected to be installed over the coming 12 months and will arrive in Blacktown, Burwood, the City of Sydney, Georges River, Inner West, Ku-ring-gai, Lane Cove, Liverpool, Mosman, Newcastle, North Sydney, Northern Beaches, Randwick, Waverley, Willoughby, and Woollahra areas.
Sydney’s inner west is the biggest beneficiary and will get 136 EV chargers, followed by 83 chargers in Randwick and 70 in Waverley.
North Sydney, Willoughby and Woollahra will get over 150 between them, with Newcastle the only regional area in the rollout set to receive 30 chargers.
Coogee MP Marjorie O’Neill also welcomed the news of 202 charge ports being built across 138 sites in Sydney’s eastern suburbs alone.
The chargers will range from seven to 75kW and include pole-mounted, pedestal, and ‘kiosk’ chargers. They will be installed at curbsides or in public council car parks, and are expected to be open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The NSW government has also claimed that increasing the number of EVs would help the state meet its net zero emissions target.
An April update revealed NSW is not on track to meet its targets to reduce greenhouse emissions by 50 per cent on 2005 levels by 2030 and 70 per cent by 2035. Instead, the state is tracking for 44-50 per cent by 2030 and 65-70 per cent by 2035.
Sharpe has also announced a long-awaited policy to give households up to A$2,400 to install a battery for storing solar energy, and as much as A$400 to connect to a virtual power plant.
Over a million homes in NSW with solar panels will be eligible for the incentive.
