The Charging Station of the Future

Electrify America has revealed a new design philosophy for some of its future charging stations, the company announced. In addition to this new, customer-focused design evolution, the company will be introducing its next-generation charger with functional design updates to improve the hands-on charging experience for the customer, the company said.

Electrify America’s “Charging Station of the Future, Today” will add design and comfort elements such as solar canopies and awnings, customer waiting areas and other customer-focused services at select locations.

The company plans to build select new flagship charging facilities in Santa Barbara, San Francisco, San Diego and Beverly Hills, California and in New York within Manhattan and Brooklyn, beginning in 2022 and 2023. Currently, the company has flagship charging stations located in Baker, California and Santa Clara, California.

“Electrify America will be reinventing the look and feel at many of our charging stations to meet and exceed the expectations of customers moving from a gas-powered vehicle to an electric lifestyle,” said Giovanni Palazzo, president and CEO of Electrify America. “These new designs will help elevate the charging experience for our customers, building on the foundation of our ultra-fast and reliable coast-to-coast network.”

With some of the new showcase stations featuring up to 20 ultra-fast DC chargers, the company is looking to add a number of options at various locations including:

• Customer lounges, electric vehicle showcase areas, dedicated event space
• Overhead solar canopies to shield customers from the sun and inclement weather
• On-site security cameras and additional lighting
• Charging stations located at select shopping locations may offer valet charging and curbside delivery options

Electrify America is currently adding solar awnings to 400-500 individual chargers at 100 charging stations across the country. In addition to providing shelter from the sun and weather elements, the energy captured by the solar awnings will be utilized to help power the station’s operations, the company said. The solar energy from these solar canopies is also routed to the onsite battery energy storage systems onsite, capturing energy to help charge electric vehicles.

Electrify America will also begin the rollout of a redesigned electric vehicle charger with up to 150 and 350 kilowatts of charging power. The next-generation charger will also feature:

• An all-new design that refines the look and reduces the footprint of the charger
• A recessed and brighter HMI (human-machine interface) screen to help reduce the glare from sunlight
• A single connector cable with an all-new cable management system
• A reduced footprint of both the charger and power cabinets