BMW and Porsche introduces three-minute fast charging for EVs

-    BMW and Porsche along with Allego, Phoenix-Contact, and Siemens launched “FastCharge” in Germany.

-    Is capable of fast charging in less than three minutes with its capacity of 450kW. 

BMW and Porsche along with industrial companies have launched a “FastCharge” in Jettingen-Scheppach, Bavaria. This ultra-fast charging facility is capable of charging a capacity of 450kW (more than triple Tesla’s Superchargers). Which means that it can charge an electric vehicle in less than three minutes for the first 100 kilometres of range or 15 minutes for full charge. 

The charging station set-up is suitable for electric cars of all brands with Type 2 Combined Charging System (CCS) and can be used free of any cost. The FastCharge project is currently investigating the technical requirements that need to be met in terms of both vehicles and infrastructure with this setup. Receiving a total funding of 7.8 million Euros from the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, the FastCharge project is run by an industry consortium under BMW Group with members including Allego GmbH, Phoenix Contact E-Mobility GmbH, Porsche AG and Siemens AG. 

The Siemens energy supply system being used in the project enables researchers to test the limits of the fast-charging capacity. With voltage capacity of up to 920Volts, the charge controller is automatically adapted so that different electric cars can be charged using a single infrastructure. Which means the BMW i3 which has a capacity of 50kW can also be charged at the same point as the Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid. 

A high capacity cooled HPC (High Power Charging) cables made by Phoenix Contact were used to meet the demands of fast charging at high capacity. Porsche also developed a cooling system for keeping the battery cells at a constant temperature. The wall units and cooled cables were also part of the package to meet the challenges of fast charging. Meanwhile, Siemens contributed a high voltage energy supply to test the limits of the FastCharge unit. 

This new FastCharge project could be a big leap into the electrified future, thus reducing range anxiety amongst the EV buyers. Reducing the charging time would help electric vehicles to become mainstream.