FreeWire Technologies Inc., San Leandro, California, an innovative electric vehicle charging and power solutions provider, and Envision AESC US LLC, Smyrna, Tennessee, United States, a trusted battery technology supplier, have announced a partnership to enable the rapid adoption of ultrafast EV charging and mobile power products. This unique pairing will accelerate where ultrafast charging is available, which promotes electric vehicle adoption and creates strong alignment between the companies.
Deploying ultrafast chargers to keep pace with EV growth worldwide has been a challenge given the need for high-voltage grid power and the associated costs and time to deploy traditional infrastructure-heavy chargers. FreeWire combines ultrafast charging with battery technology to provide an integrated infrastructure-light solution that virtually eliminates installation costs and can be deployed quickly at just about any location.
“Given its ten-year track record of safety and reliability, Envision AESC’s battery technology was the perfect choice to incorporate into our industry-leading battery pack,” said Arcady Sosinov, CEO and founder of FreeWire Technologies. “FreeWire’s innovative technology leveraging Envision AESC battery modules has positioned the company to become a global market leader in EV charging and energy products.”
Envision AESC battery cells and modules are widely used across industries and applications, including the Nissan LEAF EV, and are a core component of FreeWire’s EV charging and energy products. FreeWire leverages Envision modules to create a proprietary battery pack with industry-leading energy density, which is then integrated into portable power solutions that enable site hosts to upgrade or install ultrafast EV charging infrastructure without significant space requirements or investment.
FreeWire’s Boost Charger is an ultrafast EV charger with 160 kWh of integrated battery capacity. The charger acts as a buffer, connecting to low-voltage grid power while outputting 120 kW to EVs, equivalent to 100 miles of range in 10 minutes. Boost Charger’s compact design can provide power in a smaller footprint than traditional chargers and can be easily redeployed if charging demand doesn’t materialize. If demand increases, new stations can be quickly added to meet customer needs.
FreeWire built upon the Envision AESC modules’ outstanding quality and safety record, achieving first-of-its-kind industry safety certifications under EV charging and energy storage standards. FreeWire’s proprietary lithium-ion battery pack is certified to UL1973, and the entire system is certified to UL2202, UL2231-1, UL2231-2, and UL991.
“We congratulate FreeWire on this safety certification milestone,” says Bill Williams, Director of Business Development at Envision AESC, “It’s exciting to develop and grow partnerships like this as a US battery manufacturer for their fast-growing business of innovative EV charging solutions.”
Next-generation fast chargers coupled with reliable battery technology are vital to the electric vehicle charging ecosystem, enabling rapid and widespread deployment of ultrafast charging infrastructure to previously incompatible locations. Distributed energy products such as the Boost Charger can provide a range of additional benefits, including reduced peak power demand, lower electricity bills, improved resiliency by allowing power dispatch back to the grid, access to EV charging when grid power is offline, and other grid resiliency services.
About FreeWire Technologies, Inc.
FreeWire’s turnkey power solutions deliver energy whenever and wherever it’s needed for reliable electrification beyond the grid. With scalable clean power that moves to meet demand, FreeWire customers can tackle new applications and deploy new business models without the complexity of upgrading traditional energy infrastructure.
About Envision AESC
Envision AESC is the world’s leading battery technology company. With a head office in Japan, Envision AESC Group operates battery production facilities in Zama, Japan, Sunderland in the UK as well as Tennessee in the US. The company’s fourth production site is in Wuxi, China, which will begin production in 2021.