NREL's "Charging Plaza of the Future" Concept Uses High Power Charging and Smart Charge Management (Text Version)

This is the text version of the video for NREL's "Charging Plaza of the Future" Concept Uses High Power Charging and Smart Charge Management.

This animation demonstrates the laboratory's concept for high-power charging for a variety of vehicles through one integrated charging plaza. The animation illustrates how different levels of electricity can flow to vehicles with different charging level needs and how smart charge management strategies—for instance, by implementing the battery energy storage system referenced in the animation—can reduce peak charging demand. These strategies help the electric grid's resilience, lower the cost of charging, and allow vehicles to charge in less time.

[Animation begins]

[Two thin blue lines representing alternating current (AC) electricity flow from an off-screen substation along two power lines.]

[The lines converge and enter a grid interface inverter, representing electricity switching from AC to direct current (DC).]

[The thin blue lines become one thick red line illustrating a DC electrical current. The DC current flows into a DC load center.]

[The DC current flows from the DC load center into a battery energy storage system. The arrow on a nearby power meter that measures the total electrical load on the grid system rises from 0 kilowatts (kW) of energy usage to 100 kW as it fills the battery energy storage system.]

[A thin green line representing solar energy flows from solar photovoltaic panels on a nearby building into the DC load center. The power meter lowers back down to nearly 0 kW of energy usage, illustrating how renewable energy sources can offset demand on the electrical grid.]

[A thick red line representing DC electrical current flows from the DC load center to power three commercial, megawatt-scale fast charging stations for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. The arrow of the power meter rises to 1 MW of energy usage.]

[A medium-thick red line flows from the DC load center to a nearby building, where the lights turn on, representing the integration of buildings with charging stations. A second red line flows from the DC load center to a commercial kilowatt-scale charging station where several medium- and heavy-duty trucks are charging, illustrating the lower level of energy needed to charge commercial vehicles at a slower rate. The arrow of the power meter nears the top of the meter.]

[A medium-thick red line flows to a nearby building, where the lights turn on, representing the integration of buildings with charging stations. A second red line flows to a commercial kilowatt-scale charging station where several medium- and heavy-duty trucks are charging, illustrating the lower level of energy needed to charge commercial vehicles at a slower rate. The arrow of the power meter nears the top of the meter.]

[A thick green line representing backup electricity flows from the battery energy storage system into the DC load center, and the arrow on the power meter settles at 1 MW of energy usage. This illustrates that on-site energy storage can mitigate the grid impact of peak charging.]

[Animation ends]