Tritium celebrates the opening of its first manufacturing facility of DC fast chargers in the US, located in Lebanon, Tennessee.
This new plant, announced in February, potentially might become the largest one in the country with a potential to install up to six production lines for a total peak capacity of up to 30,000 chargers annually. The company expects to create more than 500 jobs within the state over the next five years.
The facility went online just about five months after the announcement and, as we understand, starts with a single production line. Initially, it will produce the Tritium RTM model (50 kW or 75 kW output).
Early next year, Tritium hopes to start production of the PKM150 model, which is a 150 kW charger (150 kW for single vehicle or 2x 75 kW when two EVs are charging simultaneously). Up to four PKM150 can be connected to one power cabinet to build a charging station.
"The PKM line of chargers are created with swappable modules saving customers time on easy maintenance and upgradeability, which enables technicians to replace modules in just minutes. This flexibility gives customers the ability to choose between 100kW or 150kW of dual-cable charging station power depending on their business needs."
We believe that in the future, Tritium will also start production of other higher-power models, like the PK350, which can provide up to 350 kW of power.
The company is investing heavily in the US, basing its spending on a forecast of 35 million battery-electric vehicles in use in the country by 2030 (compared to 2.6 million plug-ins as of April 2022). Such a high number of electric vehicles requires a very dense network of fast charging infrastructure.
Tritium CEO Jane Hunter said:
“The opening of our Tennessee factory is an important milestone for Tritium, for Tennessee and most importantly, for American drivers. As many as 35 million electric vehicles are expected to be in use by 2030 and those vehicles will require more powerful and convenient charging infrastructure. It’s crucial that America’s charging infrastructure is built right here in the US. Americans will rely on it to get to work, to school, to doctor’s appointments, and more. It needs to be reliable, and it needs to be able to grow to meet their needs. And when we make chargers here in the US, we reduce supply chain and shipping delays, and we help build the manufacturing ecosystem that will employ more Americans.”
Customers in the US are already ordering Tritium chargers in substantial volume. Just a few weeks ago, EVCS (one of the largest EV fast-charging network operators on the West Coast) announced an order of 300 Tritium RTM (50 kW version).
Those chargers will be installed across California, Oregon, and Washington, where EVCS already operates 225 DC fast chargers (and 390 AC Level 2 charging points). The network would like to expand to 1,500 chargers by the end of 2023.
Other key markets for Tritium are Europe and of course Australia (home market).
