Electric vehicles (EV) have come along way in the last few years, but there’s still a long way to go before mass adoption. Along with range and charge times, EV charging infrastructure is a major deterrent for consumers. From portable solutions to autonomous EV-charging robots, the industry isn’t short on ideas to serve the growing EV-owning population.
Industrial manufacturing giant Siemens has a large-scale solution in mind though, and it has partnered with green construction technology company Nexii to introduce the VersiCharge XL charging station concept. The pre-fabricated prototype utilizes Nexii’s proprietary building material Nexiite. The firm claims that the material has comparable properties to concrete, making it a robust housing for Siemens’ Sentron Busway systems.
“Construction and transportation are two of the biggest sources of carbon emissions driving climate change today,” noted Nexii co-founder and CEO Stephen Sidwell. “Bringing together Siemens and Nexii demonstrates the power of rapid ideation and development of solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems.
The above-ground, weather-resistant structure easily integrates into existing parking lots, with Siemens reporting that the system only required three days to install at its North American Headquarters for Electric Products. The VersiCharge XL can charge high volumes of electric vehicles with both level 2 or level 3 charging capabilities.
“With the ever-increasing demand for EV infrastructure across the United States and beyond, we recognize a real need for fast deployment, scalability, easy upkeep and reliability,” stated Siemens Head of eMobility (North America) John DeBoer. “Technologies like this system are proof that a nationwide EV network isn’t out of reach, and Siemens is helping make it a reality.”
Siemens already offers a range of residential and commercial chargers. From charging depots for commercial fleets to establishing electrified bus lines in major, the conglomerate is focused on large infrastructure projects. The VersiCharge XL will leverage those ambitions for serving the consumer EV sector and Siemens plans to produce one million chargers by 2025.
“As more and more consumers choose to go electric, we must ensure that our communities have the infrastructure to accommodate electric vehicles,” concluded U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn Bourdeaux.
