CitiPark set to install first DC Rapid Charger in Leeds City Centre
We're thrilled to announce that we will be installing Leeds City Centre’s very first DC Rapid Car Charger at our flagship branch, the Merrion Centre, later this year!
So what is a DC Rapid Car Charger?
The DC Rapid Charger, classified as a 480-volt electric vehicle (EV) charging station, is capable of providing a full charge to compatible electric cars in less than 30 minutes. The DC Rapid Charger is perfect for charging electric vehicles in high-traffic commercial locations, petrol stations and at locations along major transportation routes e.g. motorways.
What’s the benefit of using one?
By using a DC Rapid Charger, EV owners can drive and charge anywhere, topping up as needed and, more importantly, without time constraints. Drivers who want to use their electric cars for trips beyond a radius from their home charging site have come to rely on DC Rapid Charging sites. So-called ‘range anxiety’ has long been cited as the most significant factor standing in the way of widespread adoption of electric vehicles (Fleet Carma, 2011).
For electric vehicle owners, adding 80 miles of range can take almost a full day if you don’t have access to a 240-volt charging station. If you do have access to one, that charge can still take up to 8 hours. Dealing with these limitations requires planning and accepting the fact that there are some places your car can’t take you in a reasonable amount of time.
This doesn’t necessarily have to be the case though. DC Rapid Chargers supersede all previous types of charging stations and are designed to charge electric vehicles quickly, with an electric output ranging between 50 kW – 120 kW.
Most modern fully-electric vehicles can be equipped with DC Rapid Charge capability and although there are currently nearly 2,200 high-speed chargers in places like the US, the UK is a long way behind in installing them.
In Japan, a country less than 5% the size of the US, there are more than 6,000 DC Rapid Chargers, all of which are compatible with the vast majority of Japanese EVs. That’s roughly one quick-charge station for every 245 square miles compared to the US’s one per 2,235 square-mile concentration (Fleet Carma, 2011).
Ben Ziff, Managing Director of CitiPark said: “CitiPark is proud to be the first to install this important piece of pioneering technology designed to benefit EV owners in Leeds. We hope that this will be the first of many more to come, contributing towards making Leeds a standout, technologically advanced city.
“The introduction of the DC Rapid Charger is a part of CitiPark’s wider commitment to going green; investing in sustainable technologies which conserve energy and lower pollution. Following this first installation, the plan is to roll out more CitiPark DC Rapid Chargers around the UK.”