FastCharge, 450 kW Charge Station Goes Live!

[G. David Felt]

The research consortium  made up of European and US auto companies presented their first prototype of a CCS or Combined Charging System standard 450 kW charging station Thursday Dec 13th 2018. This charging station is open to the public, it is in Jettingen-Scheppach, located near the A8 motorway between Ulm and Augsburg Germany.

Porsche with it's 90 kWh battery pack was able to show off charging at 400 kW at the new station. This station allows a full battery recharge in 15 minutes or less. BMW also was there to test out and show off their system that can handle the full 450 kW charging.

These new charging stations are 400V and 800V wired, so while current EVs could not use them, new EVs that can handle either voltage will be able to charge up from near empty in the same time an ICE vehicle would do at the pump.

Both auto companies have acknowledged that their charging controllers are built to the same standard and can actually handle up to 920V charging. Recent additions to the 800V power club for recharging are GM and Toyota. More auto companies each month are signing onto this standard which brings recharging like ICE auto fill up of gas to reality.

• Porsche Press Release
• BMW Press Release