The specialist in green and itinerant electric charging E-Gap unveils its new solution. An “ultra-fast” and above all off-grid terminal, designed in collaboration with Pininfarina.
After the E-Gap Fast Delivery roaming charging service, here is E-Gap Fast in short. This is the name of the new “installation-free” charging station, aimed in particular at businesses. The goal: to provide a transitional solution where the installation of traditional terminals is difficult or not possible. It is in Cambiano, near Turin, that E-Gap presents Fast to us. And if the places seem familiar to you, that’s normal! It was also at Pininfarina that we discovered the NamX HUV hydrogen SUV.
E-Gap Fast: an autonomous and independent terminal
“At the beginning, everyone thought about cars, but no one thought about customers. And even when the infrastructure does not allow it, we must still facilitate the electric experience. We therefore offer a mobile product capable of operating without traditional installation, requiring digging and laying the lines. This is how CEO Eugenio de Blasio presents his E-Gap Fast concept to us. A solution without installation therefore, on the existing electricity network, to meet one-off and temporary needs. This solution takes the form of a large cubic terminal designed by the legendary Italian automobile designer Pininfarina. But we’ll come back to that. From the outside, the electric charging station is both simple and versatile. Simple, because it has two sockets with one interface each, allowing two vehicles to be charged simultaneously.
Versatile because, at the rear, the E-Gap Fast accommodates two large LED screens. Interesting equipment allowing, for example, images and videos to be broadcast for advertising purposes. Even, why not, the display of information (timetables, maps, etc.) near stations and public transport. The optimization of this Fast also goes beyond the terminal. It is in fact in the upper part that the cable anchoring is located. A placement which allows “to avoid heavy cables on the ground, and to optimize their length in use” specifies E-Gap. As for the batteries, this obviously happens inside. Fast houses a large 200 kWh battery, which can be recharged by E-Gap’s mobile charging trucks. The company is already working on a next version of the terminal, more modular with LFP batteries and more compact.
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“Ultra-fast” charging, all things considered
Yes, the specialist tells us about high performance, but let’s not forget that this is a mobile solution, and therefore relatively compact. This first E-Gap Fast concept is therefore capable of providing up to 120 kW of direct current for a vehicle. Power reduced by half when two vehicles charge simultaneously, i.e. 60 kW per vehicle. 22 kW slow charging is also provided in the case of “coupling” with a fixed station for example. Modular design requires, the terminal can even provide 230 kW at full power, distributed over seven charging points. In this case, count around 32 kW per vehicle simultaneously.
A flexibility that reminds us of the concept of Audi Charging Hub charging stations! This modularity will in any case allow solutions with different functions, capacities and powers. The adoption of more compact batteries will offer an alternative to the Delivery charging truck. There, a simple “swap” of the discharged batteries would be enough to refuel the E-Gap Fast. The charging management software, as well as the 5G connection, will open up compatibility with all operators on the market. E-Gap provides certified green electricity, and in our opinion only lacks one thing: solar panels. And believe us, under the Turin sun during the presentation, it’s hard to get more “green” though! According to E-Gap, this would not be enough. But that’s always the case, isn’t it?
E-Gap and Pininfarina: “the best possible experience”
“The designer’s objective is not to design beauty in particular. But to design something that represents the customer experience.” It’s not us, but Pininfarina who said it! Unlike the Italian designer’s cars, it is clear that the E-Gap Fast is more functional than it is aesthetic. “The contribution goes beyond design, the experience must be the best possible and must be able to be repeated over time.” It’s not false. But thinking of Pininfarina, we would have at least liked a more marked touch of style on the exterior of the terminal. Maybe on the next version? In the meantime, we’ll have to make do with the pretty luminous inserts around the Fast’s sockets.
E-Gap Fast Delivery et trolley : recharge mobile, recharge d’urgence
Finally, a quick look at two other products and services. First, the E-Gap Fast Delivery mobile charging truck. We were able to get a close look at one of these trucks containing 850 kg of batteries. Inside, no less than 6,000 cells for 130 kWh nominal (100 to 110 kWh real). It is possible to choose between 22 kW (AC) and up to 90 kW (DC). Ordered from the mobile application, the truck comes to recharge you on site and at your convenience. The individual customer can request 20, 30, 40, 50 kWh… and a charging time. The first criterion reached (charging time or quantity) stops the recharge. Bonus: an additional socket allows you to offer additional services. E-Gap can thus offer, as an option, a suction passage, tire monitoring, etc., during recharging. A real plus for business fleets.
As an indication, allow €30 to recharge 20 kWh, and €45 for 50 kWh in E-Gap Fast Delivery. All within a maximum time limit of 90 minutes (official promise), much less in reality in Paris. In 2022, the average charging “delivery” time was 32 minutes. Finally, another E-Gap product: the trolley. A “small” suitcase containing a battery to respond to emergency situations. Is your vehicle completely unloaded? A mechanic needs a recharge at the garage? Or even a tow truck to facilitate the movement of an electric vehicle? The trolley’s emergency battery and its electrical outlet can be a solution. With all these services and ambitions, E-Gap hopes for “very fast in a very short time in the future. In a few years, 5 minutes of charging could be enough! The difference with the thermal experience will virtually no longer exist at all.” Fingers crossed.
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