InCharge Energy launches suite of bidirectional charging solutions for EV fleets

InCharge Energy, a provider of turnkey fleet electrification services, has launched a new portfolio of bidirectional DC fast chargers. The new ICE-22 V2X, ICE-44 V2X and ICE-66 V2X chargers are aimed at fleet operators, and are designed to optimize operations and increase cost efficiencies while supporting grid stability, and to enable fleets to qualify for grant funds that include a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) compatibility requirement.

“At InCharge Energy, we continue to innovate EV charging solutions with these V2X chargers, paired with our enhanced InControl charging management software,” said CTO Cliff Fietzek. “Our turnkey bidirectional solution not only helps our fleet customers reach their emissions reduction goals, it also provides greater sustainability for local communities. Importantly, the V2X portfolio supports proposed California legislation which looks to establish goals for bidirectional charging in the state.”

Applicable to many use cases, V2X is considered a great option for fleets with long dwell times, time-of-use energy tariffs, and/or facilities in outage-prone regions. Fleets can not only realize cost savings, but also enjoy the flexibility of a built-in backup power source.

After performing extensive interoperability testing at its Engineering and Fulfillment Center, InCharge has verified that its solution enables fleet managers to charge any bidirectional-capable EV at any ICE V2X charging station.

The suite of InCharge V2X chargers includes three options, with different power outputs:

· ICE-22 V2X is intended for fleets needing sequential charging, such as those with long dwell times without time-of-use tariffs, and is useful for discharging multiple vehicles back-to-back.

· ICE-44 V2X is best for fleets that need to maximize charging with simultaneous and sequential charging or discharging of two vehicles at a time.

· ICE-66 V2X is aimed at fleets that have high daily utilization and may need to charge up quickly or feed energy back to a building or facility to shave utility costs.

“Our hands-on experience has given us a deep understanding of our customers’ needs and the challenges they are working to solve as they transition to electric vehicles, which is why we developed these three ICE V2X charging solutions,” said Nikolas Runge, VP of Product and Services. “By introducing the chargers, we are also helping to make V2G technology a reality, which will improve grid sustainability by syncing charging and discharging activity with energy demand.”

The bidirectional functionality of the InCharge V2X chargers is controlled by the V2X add-on of InControl, the charging management system from InCharge Energy. Using an OpenAPI architecture developed specifically for large fleets, the proprietary InControl platform allows fleet managers to operate, monitor and maintain their EV charging infrastructure, and to integrate it into their existing software systems.

“Our InControl platform was built with a fleet-first mindset. We incorporate user feedback to ensure the InControl experience continues to get better and better,” said Russell Schmidt, Director of Digital Services.

Source: InCharge Energy