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The Future of EV Charging

Today, we're talking EV charging kiosks. Because AOPEN makes industrial controllers and media players, we make the brains that go inside these structures. Let's dive into the consumer EV car market, talk about kiosks, and my predictions for the industry.

Photo: AOPEN Inc.

May 4, 2022

(Derived from the AOPEN VLOG - The Future of EV Charging)

When talking about EV cars, the question is if they have reached that breakpoint where people feel secure in the range. The answer is, of course, yes. When we look at how much Americans actually drive, it's about 16 miles each way, meaning that you're going to and from work and possibly a little extra to pick up dinner. You would hypothetically have to not plug in your car for four days before the low battery becomes a concern. Why would you need to find a charging kiosk if you're driving home and have an at-home solution?

The issue is that 50% of people have range anxiety, meaning that they're scared that they're going to run out of "fuel." Running on empty is highly unlikely in usual day-to-day driving, and this anxiety will slow down the adoption of electric vehicles. However, solutions like portable battery packs, like putting a tank of gas in the back of your car for backup, are the band-aids that people would use to gain confidence in these obstacles.

Let's talk about the chargers themselves. You have two basic types: those that look like parking meters, ones with screens for payment, or possibly advertising for bystanders as they pass the charging station. Big players like Electrify America, EVgo, ChargePoint, EV Connect, Volta, and Tesla provide charge to your vehicle. The critical thing is what these companies need to solve (in terms of their business plan); what value they bring when anyone can actually make this product effectively. So at this point, it's about what type of places you own, your footprint, the number of stations, the layout, if you have a payment sort of thing or a usage plan, etc.

The second point is that these kiosks have a simplistic approach–the charging technology mainly resides on the car side. The plugs are relatively similar (except for Tesla), and the cars are tasked with maintaining the battery. While the kiosk provides power, the vehicle needs to determine the charging rate and how much energy it uses while maintaining the connection to ensure it doesn't "overflow."

The last thing to note about EV charging stations and their use which can also contribute to range anxiety is that the battery constantly drains to maintain optimal temperature. If you're at work all day, and it's -20 degrees in Chicago or 110 degrees in Arizona, the battery will be draining to try and maintain the relative operating temperature; your range and how long your battery lasts are supported by an intelligent system in your vehicle. When we talk about range anxiety and how these kiosks will be used, there's a need for a charging station if you're in a variable temperature zone to feed your car while at work.

There are 3 levels of charging kiosks (at the time of this writing). Level 1 (120-Volt) provides charging speeds between 3-5 miles per hour, while the next tier (208-240-Volt) charges between 12-80 miles per hour. Lastly, level 3 (400-500-Volt) provides 3-30 Miles per minute. Comparing EV chargers versus a charger where your car would sit all day, levels 1 and 2 are not ideal for those environments, while level 3 has the potential to mimic a gas station.

The use case makes sense in a retail plaza or grocery store, giving the shopper plenty of time to get close to full charge while fulfilling their grocery list, and the same goes with QSR and dining out scenarios. Ultimately, the goal in these locations is to get you to effectively interact with these stores/restaurants in hopes of additional revenue and purchasing high-margin items inside.

Let's talk about predictions–the retail scene will be a push and a pull. If stores and restaurants want you to stay in your car to order, pull up into a stall, or wait for your groceries to be delivered, the larger kiosks will be used to try and impact your behavior. However, if they go big and still want you to go in and walk around, it's less likely the smaller ones will be used because if you only look at them for five seconds, they're sort of a waste, right?

The government and enterprise segments are not looking to get your attention and are designed like a parking meter (there's no need to use a large display and get your attention). If your commute involves rail or subway transportation where you leave your vehicle parked, a level one or two type meter to keep your car topped off during the day because of extreme weather conditions might be the ideal type needed.

The big question is, what will the gas stations do? They have already gotten involved–when they decide to go further into these markets, their influence could change everything because of their footprint and how many stations they have.

As long as you remember to plug in your car, you're fine on day-to-day operations. The real market will be EV Chargers for your home that are easy to install, easy to use, never break, and remind you to plug them in; people will need to develop habits. Charging kiosks "out in the wild" at restaurants, QSRs, and shopping centers will be fancier trying to direct your retail behavior.

I hope you found this information insightful, and for any questions, reach out to us at READY@aopen.com!

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AOPEN (An Acer Group Company)

AOPEN is an Acer Group company that specializes in small form factor commercial, medical, and industrial computing, as well as touch display technology for digital signage, kiosks and POS solutions as a leading global hardware manufacturer.

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