Charging Ahead to the Future

One of the main trends of both the ICT and transportation industries is electric vehicles (EVs) which Statista estimated to have generated USD 561.3 billion. The EV industry is expected to reach USD 906.7 billion by 2028 with a CAGR of 10%. One of the components of the EV market, the charger will contribute to a significant amount to this value as Custom Market Insights estimated the EV Charger market will grow from USD 25.75 in 2022 to USD 123.04 billion in 2032, at a CAGR of 27%.

While EV adoption is expected to grow rapidly in the near future with a number of subsidies or financing options provided for EV purchases, EVs still face a number of infrastructure related challenges that deter adoption. This can range from charging time, availability of charging stations, compatibility of the car plug type to charger type, etc. Public EV charging stations are now available in various public areas such as parking lots, service stations, hotels, shopping centers, and more to help provide better convenience for EV users. Some users can also opt to install a private charging station in their homes, although they might have to be more careful in selecting the charger type to make sure they do not overload their home circuits.

Generally, there are 2 types of EV chargers based on their current types: AC and DC which are then divided into 3 level (1, 2, and 3) based on their charging level. As a general rule, the higher the level, the faster the charge, although it is important to remember that Levels 1 and 2 are AC based while Level 3 chargers are DC based.

A majority of home chargers today are Level 1 AC chargers which will have 1 – 1.8 kW output and can take between 22 to 40 hours to fully charge an EV. Level 2 AC chargers that are commonly found in some homes and most commercial/ public stations can charge faster with 3 kW to 22 kW output; taking up 2 – 13 hours to fully charge an EV. By contrast, the Level 3 DC chargers (fast chargers) are often found at public service stations as they are needed for long journeys. With an output of 30 kW to 360 kW, users can fully charge their cars in as little as 15 minutes.

Both AC and DC chargers utilize different types of connectors as additional safety features are needed for the high-power Level 3 DC chargers. Most Level 1 and Level 2 AC chargers use J1772 connector, a single-phase connector and the standard for EVs in North America and Japan. By contrast, the Combined Charging System (CCS) is the more common connector for DC chargers which uses Combo 1 and Combo 2 AC/DC inlets which can be used with both AC and DC connectors to provide power at up to 400kW and is an extension of the SAE J1772 (Type 1) and IEC 62196 (Type 2) connectors. Specialty manufacturers such as KS Terminals offer these connectors as well other EV charger connector types in their product portfolio.

Of course, EV Charging station operators will need additional features to not only ensure that people can charge their cars. Reliability, safety, as well as monetization features will be necessary to make sure the added investment will be worthwhile.

Based on the charging time, the U-Charger by Channel Well Technology which takes 4 to 6 hours to fully charge can be counted as a level 2. It has a maximum output of 7 kW and can operate in temperatures ranging from -10 to 50°C and humidity range of 5 – 95%. With up to 10 failure protection features and SAE J1772 connector type, the device allows users to integrate among the cloud system, cash flow and voice guidance services.

The Mercury series Smart AC Chargers by ECS are 22 kW chargers for home and businesses with IP55/ IK10 enclosure for added security. With international OCPP 1.6 standard, the chargers are able of not only smart charging and load balancing through Energy Management System, but also added reliable, interoperable, and scalable communication and management for home users and commercial charging point operators.

MSI also offers Level 2 chargers with their EV AI charging solution that is equipped with AI for plate recognition and payment system. With up to 14 kW output per hour, users can drive for 72 km after just 1 hour of charging. With an integrated mobile app, users can also control and monitor their charging on their smartphones.

Level 3 DC chargers are also available for commercial usage such as service stations or logistics fleet. The UFC Ultra Fast Charger 200 by Delta Electronics can charge up to four vehicles simultaneously. Two charging points are available for DC fast charging up to 200 kW and two charging points for AC charging with 22 kW each. For larger DC charging parks, additional variants and configurations are possible to optimize operation or to implement different traffic / parking concepts. As Delta Electronics also offer solar cells + energy storage systems that can be integrated into the EV chargers; operators will be able to gain 3 benefits at once: reduce their carbon emission, reduce their electricity usage/ power bills, as well as reduce the burden on their entire power system.

The Voltronic EV Charger series is equipped with an IP54 and IK10 rated protection from the elements and possible vandalism. They provide power output ranging from 60 to 180 kW and once charging is complete, the charging station can enter sleep mode even with the nozzle still connected. They also come with patented modularized design for easier replacement and lower maintenance costs.

EV adoption is currently facing delays on the individual user side due to various factor, but according to WhichEV; EVs might have a stronger demand for fleet based users due to the subsidies which might be offered by governments. In this situation, a higher-level charger might be more interesting for institutional users who will generally have more funds to both purchase and operate the chargers.

■《About COMPUTEX TAIPEI》

COMPUTEX TAIPEI was founded and named by the then Chairman of Taipei Computer Association (TCA), Stan Shih. In 1985, TCA invited TAITRA to be a co-organizer of COMPUTEX TAIPEI. In 2016, the startup focused event, InnoVEX was introduced.

●COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2024 Overview●

This year’s special highlights:
Responding to the rapid development of AI technologies and applications including GenAI and LLM as well as the continued increase in the global digital transformation demands; this year’s COMPUTEX 2024 will focus on “Connecting AI”. This year, COMPUTEX will be joined by major semiconductor and ICT manufacturers including: Acer, ADATA, AMD, ASPEED, ASRock, ASUSTeK, ATEN, BenQ, Clientron, Cooler Master, Delta, ECS, ELAN, FocalTech, GIGABYTE, G.Skill, Innodisk, Intel, Inventec, InWin, ITRI, KIOXIA, Kneron, MediaTek, Microip, Mitac, MSI, NXP, NVIDIA, PEGATRON, Phison, PNY, PSMC, QCT, Qualcomm, Quanta, Realtek, RETRONIX, Seagate, Silicon Motion, Silicon Power, SOLOMON, Supermicro, SYSGRATION, TADA, Taiwan Micro, Thermaltake, Transcend, Wiwynn, and more. In total, 1500 local and international manufacturers will join COMPUTEX 2024 in not only the exhibition, but also forum and keynote speeches as well.

Event Dates: June 4 – 7, 2024
Event Location: Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center (TaiNEX) Halls 1 & 2
Main Theme: Connecting AI
Main Topics: AI computing, advanced communications, future mobility, immersive reality, innovation, green energy, and sustainability.

【Special Events】

• Pre-show Forum: May 16, 2024 [AI PC Industry Exploration Forum] Location: Grand HiLai Taipei Hotel
• Official Award Winners Announcement: May 28, 2024 [BC Awards 2024 Award Winning Products Announcement] Location: Le Méridien Taipei

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Event information and pre-registration website: https://show.computex.biz/
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