The Early History of EV Charging - Battery-powered Cars and the Mercury Arc Valve
Though they might seem like a very recent development, the history of electric vehicle charging goes much further back in time than you would think. Since the advent of the first motor vehicles, inventors such as Thomas Edison and Benjamin Franklin were exploring ideas about electric cars, and how they would be charged.
Throughout the late 1800s, early battery-powered vehicles became popular in major American cities since they were silent and did not give off exhaust fumes. They were charged using wall-mounted charging stations with charging cables directly plugged into the cars. An alternative method of charging these cars involved swapping the battery pack for a fully charged one, which itself would be charged in a ‘battery room.”
In 1902, the Mercury-arc valve was developed by Peter Cooper Hewitt at General Electric. This device provided power for several applications including industrial motors, electric railways, streetcars, electric locomotives, and as power supplies for large radio transmitters.
EV Charging in the later 20th Century - Further Experiments and the EV1
Throughout the following decades, it took a long time for the idea of electric vehicles to become a viable option for consumers. Because of the lack of public infrastructure dedicated to electrical charging systems, EVs and EV charging experiments were mainly deployed in closed, non-commercial environments, such as factories and industrial plants.
Years later, in the late 1990s, the idea of electric vehicles began picking up steam again. In 1996, General Motors launched the EV1, a mass-produced electric car made only available for lease. The EV1 came with individual charging stations that were capable of charging the vehicle in only a few hours. However, The EV1 was short-lived, with GM deeming the model unprofitable and discounting the line abruptly in 1999.
The EV Revolution - Mainstream Adoption and New Ways to Charge
It wasn’t until the advent of Telsa Motors and its Roadster model in 2006, followed by cars such as the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf, that EVs and EV charging technology would start to become mainstream.
Many of these vehicles contained chargers of their own, that were able to charge at a much faster rate. Access to public charging stations, found in parking lots and gas stations has also become increasingly common. These include basic Level 1 stations and more advanced Level 2 stations.
The Future of EV Charging - FlexCharge Smart Level 2 EV Charger
That brings us to the present day, where the evolution of EV charging is seen in the FlexCharge Smart Level 2 EV Charger, available at AALED.
This all-in-one charging device is ideal for a wide variety of uses, including both indoor and outdoor commercial, residential, and retail applications. It provides a charging speed 8 times faster than its level 1 counterpart, contactless payment processing, and dependable 4GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Connection for wireless charging.
To learn more about the FlexCharge Smart Level 2 EV Charger, visit aacharger.ca.