With the installation of their first ‘Maxicharger DC Fast’ 120 kW charger in the UK, the Munich-based Autel has passed a major milestone in Europe. Autel first began manufacturing charging products in 2021, aiming to explore the sustainable development of environmentally friendly technology and energy.
The new chargers in the UK were installed together with EconetiQ, a UK-based charge point operator, at Priors Hall in Corby, Northamptonshire. These new chargers are the UK’s first MaxiCharger DC Fast (Gen2), as well as the global debut for the DC charging stations. The first EV charging hub itself is comprised up of a DC Rapid 120kW charger and three AC 22KW MaxiChargers.
The MaxiCharger DC Fast charger is capable of charging between 60 and 240 kW and is intended for charge point operators and businesses “who have high volume charging needs”. As standard, the chargers come with a CCS2 charger, as well as optional CHAdeMO connections. A single AC socket is also optional on the HPCs.
After expanding into the area of electric vehicle charging, Autels charging product lineup now includes both home charging products, such as an AC wallbox, a DC wallbox, as well as public charging products, such as the newly installed DC fast chargers, which are to become available and be sold throughout Europe. Autel’s charging products are aimed to cover the markets of residential, workplace, retail, commercial parking, gas stations, highway, fleet, and public charge point operators.
The UK is the first country where Autel has installed their DC fast chargers in Europe so far. In Denmark, the next deployment is already underway, however, with the next DC Fast charger under construction.
According to Autel, the key benefit in the choice of charger is that the DC unit is one of the few DC units that can simultaneously deliver 60KW per charging gun. A 27-inch screen displays the necessary information regarding “instructions, pricing and marketing messages”. This also allows for dynamic pricing and the introduction of additional revenue sources via advertising. Furthermore, the stations are capable of smart charging, remote updates and diagnostics, as well as conforming to the ISO 15118 Plug & Charge standard.
As the company’s lineup has traditionally included everything from battery diagnostics to detection systems, the jump to charging products was not far. Autel announced the news in September, outlining their new product portfolio including AC and DC products that feature the latest EVSE technologies including smart services like advanced cloud capabilities, cloud-based smart advertising and communication, mobile app, dynamic load balancing and V2X.
In terms of operability, the MaxiCharger DC fast charger supports most payment methods, including credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, payment via App. EconetiQ uses Nayax as their payment terminal partner which is integrated into the DC charger and provides contactless payment for EV drivers “reducing the barriers to charging whilst improving the customer journey”.
This is not the end of Autel’s opening round, as shortly after the charger installation in the UK, another MaxiCharger DC Fast charger installation kicked off in Denmark. EconetiQ is also planning to expand their UK charging network with the MaxiChargers, and has already acquired additional sites and is accelerating installation plans for the DC fast chargers.
“We strongly value our relationship with Autel who have a market-leading product leveraging their size and experience,” Richard Clake, Director & Co-founder of EconetiQ says, “we are delighted to have deployed the first Autel 120kW DC unit in the UK at our Corby site. These are exciting times for e-mobility and the UK is in need of reliable and smart EV charging infrastructure. Our partnership with Autel has opened further revenue streams, the availability of the unit has maintained our business targets and enables us to deliver a first-class charging experience.”
Autel was originally founded in 2004, with the aim of developing and supplying automotive intelligent diagnostic, inspection and analysis products and solutions. The expansion to include charging products in 2021 seems a logical step. Currently, Autels market covers over 70 countries and regions, including the USA, Germany, Britain and Australia. While the road to market has been a focus for the company for their charging products recently, Autel maintains that over 60 per cent of their employees are in the research and development sector, with investments in R&D accounting for over 15% of revenue. Furthermore, the company’s charging products won the 2022 Product Design Award by RedDot and iF, and were tested and certified by the prestigious TÜV.
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Keyword: AUTEL & EconetiQ Launched its first live DC fast charger in the UK