What is High Power Charging? The Positioning and Development of Level 2 Electric Vehicle Chargers

Advantages of High-Power Charging

The most significant difference between high-power charging piles and traditional charging piles (e.g., Level 2 charging piles) is the increase in charging power, which can shorten the charging time to a great extent. Taking some electric heavy trucks as an example, with high-power DC fast charging, more than 60% of the power can be charged in 15 minutes, which significantly improves the replenishment efficiency.

Level 2 Electric Car Charger plays the role of "stability, safety and strong compatibility" in daily household and commercial scenarios. It generally supports 240V AC input, with a power range of 7kW-22kW, which is suitable for overnight charging, medium-speed charging in office buildings or communities. In contrast, high-power DC charging piles are mainly used in highways, logistics parks and other scenarios that require very high replenishment time.

Working Mechanism of High Power Charging

1. Higher Voltage or Current Output

For example, the current mainstream high power charging can reach 800V or even 1000V voltage platform, or use more than 800A current. In comparison, Level 2 chargers are relatively milder in terms of voltage and current output, and pay more attention to long-term stable use.

2. Intelligent Charging Management System

Whether it's a high-power charging device or a Level 2 charger, modern charging facilities commonly integrate a BMS (Battery Management System) and an intelligent chip, which monitors the battery status, temperature, voltage and other parameters in real time and automatically adjusts the charging strategy to ensure safety and efficiency.

3. Efficient Heat Dissipation and Power Design

High-power charging equipment usually adopts liquid-cooling technology to reduce the heat generated during high-power charging, while Level 2 chargers, due to their lower power, mostly adopt air-cooling or natural heat dissipation structures, which are more compact in size and more flexible in installation.

Synergistic development of Level 2 chargers and high-power charging

Although the two technologies have different focuses, they are not mutually exclusive. Level 2 electric car charger are still irreplaceable in private parking spaces, communities, office buildings, etc., while high-power charging will become the main force in "high-frequency, just-demand" scenarios such as high-speed road networks, logistics transit stations, cab power stations, etc. in the future. High-power charging will become the main force in future "high-frequency and rigid demand" scenarios such as high-speed road networks, logistics transfer stations and taxi power stations. The two are complementary in the entire new energy charging ecology, serving different usage scenarios and charging needs.

Challenges of High Power Charging

1. High pressure on heat dissipation: High power means high heat, which requires the use of liquid cooling and other efficient heat dissipation systems.

2. Increased pressure on the power grid: High-power centralized charging poses a challenge to the local power grid load, and power distribution facilities need to be upgraded simultaneously.

3. System efficiency needs to be optimized: the higher the power, the more critical the efficiency, and new power devices such as silicon carbide must be introduced.

4. Cost and noise control: noise control has a direct impact on equipment siting; high voltage components are costly.

5. Higher safety design requirements: must ensure that in extreme weather, complex operating conditions are still stable.

Development trend: intelligent, efficient, green

1. Liquid cooling technology popularization: become the standard for high power stations.

2. Intelligent management system upgrade: support remote operation and maintenance, dynamic tariff adjustment, etc.

3. Higher compatibility: Both high-power piles and Level 2 chargers need to be compatible with mainstream vehicle standards (CCS, CHAdeMO, GB/T, etc.).

4. Green Energy Integration: In the future, charging piles will be deeply integrated with photovoltaic, wind energy and energy storage systems to promote green and low-carbon travel.

High-power charging represents the future trend of replenishing energy for electric transportation, while Level 2 Electric Car Charger remains the ideal choice for families and daily commuting users. The two will work in parallel and synergistically in the future new energy ecosystem, providing EV users with a "fast and stable" charging experience.