Why Buffered Charging

Adding a BESS as a buffer to DC Fast Chargers presents numerous benefits that enhance efficiency, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.

Enhanced Charging Infrastructure Reliability and Performance

  • Bypass Utility Upgrade Costs and Timelines: Grid infrastructure at a specific location may be limited to supporting only 1 or 2 DC Fast Chargers without necessitating a significant upgrade to the connection.  Incorporating a BESS allows for the utilization of the current connection, thereby facilitating the expedited development of the chargers.
  • Load Balancing: the BESS can balance the load more effectively across the charging infrastructure, ensuring a stable and reliable power supply even during high demand.
  • Renewable Integration: By storing renewable energy, BESS can facilitate the use of green power for EV charging, making the operation more sustainable.
  • Reduced Grid Dependency: With BESS, charging stations can reduce their dependency on the grid and allow charging even during a blackout.

Financial Savings and Revenue Generation

  • Peak Shaving: The BESS can reduce demand charges, which can be significant costs for DC Fast Charging stations, by supplying power during peak demand periods.
  • Energy Arbitrage: The BESS can store energy when electricity prices are low and use it to charge vehicles when prices are high, generating savings or even additional revenue.

Enhanced Customer Experience

  • Reduced Waiting Times: BESS enables faster and simultaneous charging during peak times, improving the customer experience overall.
  • Reliability: Customers benefit from more reliable charging services, as BESS can provide backup power during outages.

Future-proofing and Scalability

  • Flexibility for Future Expansion: A BESS can be scaled up to meet growing demand without requiring significant changes to the existing electrical infrastructure.
  • Adaptability to Market Changes: As electricity pricing structures evolve, having a BESS allows operators to adapt quickly to new arbitrage opportunities.
  • Regulatory Incentives: Many regions offer incentives for energy storage which can offset the initial investment costs.