our energy is flowing

“CHARGER POWER AND EFFICIENCY:

i-charging is a Portuguese EV charger manufacturer focused on high-power DC charging, with a vision to be a technologic reference for e-mobility through cutting-edge and innovative solutions. i-charging supplies high-power DC charging solutions across major customer segments, with an MCS solution available at 1,500 kW. The combination of its blueberry fast chargers and i-light heavy-duty chargers can accommodate several vehicle types, up to heavy-duty trucks. The blueberry family of chargers can reach maximum dispenser output of up to 900 kW, or 1.5 MW for the i-light family, with a range of power outputs available in 50 kW increments from 50 – 600 kW. Chargers have an average efficiency of 96% at 800 Volt (V) output for the blueberry family, while the MCS solution can reach up to 98%. Offering an MCS solution and other high-power DC charging earns i-charging a 9/10 score for the charger power criterion.

SCALABILITY/FLEXIBILITY:

Partners can pair up to four dispensers for a power unit in the blueberry family, and six for the i-light family, with a power modularity of 50 kW in the blueberry family and 250 kW for the i-light solutions, allowing for simpler upgrades to existing charging sites. i-charging supports a variety of charging connectors, including CCS-1, CCS-2, NACS, CHAdeMO, and GB/T. This allows it to span all major electrification markets, and MCS will be added to this list when certification is possible. The patented cable management system that is available for i-charging solutions is a key point for vendors active in public en-route charging, and its performance relative to competitors, in terms of the force needed before the assistance activates, leads the market. i-charging also offers customizable branding of all its charger solutions.

SOFTWARE:

The my.i-charging asset management platform offered with all charger solutions enables diagnostics, online monitoring, troubleshooting, Over-the-Air (OTA) software updates, and remote configuration of settings and content uploads. It is designed to enhance operation efficiency, reduce maintenance costs, and improve the customer experience by improving network reliability and maximizing energy efficiency. There is also a strong degree of software modularity to allow vendors with their own mobile apps to use i-charging’s solution where needed for marketing content or service portals.

The omni-e energy management solution optimizes kW allocation, taking into account local energy production and demand and grid capacity. The patented TRUE dynamic load management has a 50 kW granularity and when paired with omni-e, can optimize power and energy usage in installations with several different power sources other than the grid, such as solar power or battery storage systems. This makes tackling the grid capacity problem simpler for site operators.

COMMITMENT TO COMMERCIAL EV CHARGING/SUCCESS IN MARKET:

While only being founded in 2019, i-charging leadership has over 40 years of experience in power electronics and 16 years in EV charging, with most directors and staff having over 10 years of experience in EV charging. It is a smaller operation with over 3,000 chargers deployed across 40 countries, and with more than 60 CPO and depot partners since beginning deployments in 2021. This smaller scale scores i-charging a 6/10 for success in the market, but does make it a more suitable partner for some commercial partners that cannot commit to larger charger stock requirements, which often comes with the bigger players in the EV charging market.

SOLUTIONS OFFERED/SUPPORT SERVICES:

i-charging covers all DC charging segments, but does not have charging site design or consultation services like some other high-scoring EVSEs, as well as a lack of pantograph solutions. However, the team ensures optimal operations across all its deployments with an average of 98% charger uptime, using a vast network of service partners across continents with Service Level Agreement (SLA) contracts and, in some cases, its partners and distributors also assure their own operations with their own network of service engineers, such as ABM in the United States, Service4Charger in Germany, Swarco in the United Kingdom, and EV-NRG in Australia. The response time for outages or requests can go down to 4 hours on-site depending on the SLA, and depends as much on the hardware as on how the customer has maintenance organized.

i-charging is notable for is innovations with screen use in its charger solutions—an important factor for vendors that care about charger aesthetics. The service portal has also been noted for its ease of use, and proactive design that allows chargers to be opened up easily in confined spaces, improving the serviceability greatly. The plug-and-play nature of the power modules enables simple upgrades to charger deployments, with the weight of power modules being carefully optimized to allow a single engineer to lift them.

To take full advantage of its impressive innovations in commercial EV charging, especially in the emerging electrification of heavy-duty trucks, i-charging should focus on platforming its adept support services and response times, as well as the intelligent design that enables servicing, maintenance, and upgrading to be carried out by third-party engineers quickly and simply. Additionally, the provision of pantograph solutions could allow bus and truck charging to grow as a customer segment, capitalizing on existing deployments in countries where this segment’s electrification is already underway, such as the United Kingdom.”