Most drivers of electric vehicles will keep a weather eye on remaining range to make sure that they don't run out of juice while on the move. But if that does happen, they can't just walk to the nearest refueling point for a can full of charge. This is where mobile EV chargers could help, and the latest comes from Colorado's Lightning Systems.
Aimed at commercial and government fleet operators rather than regular EV drivers, the Lightning Mobile system has been designed for installation in the company's electric Transit 350HD cargo van, though can be mounted on a trailer or fitted in any suitably-sized vehicle.
"Every fleet with electric commercial vehicles will benefit from mobile fast charging," said Lightning's CEO, Tim Reeser. "Uptime is the name of the game for fleets. While operators will schedule vehicle duties to include depot-based charging, there’s always the chance that a vehicle will need a top-up at another location or en route. There is also often the need for DC Fast Charging at locations or times that may not already be permitted or where demand rates would prohibit fast charging direct from the grid. Lightning Mobile fulfills all these needs."
It comes with 192 kWh of liquid-cooled DC battery storage and is itself charged from a standard Level 2 DC charger. It will serve as a kind of roadside power rescue service or as a mobile battery top up to keep electric trucks, vans and buses on the move, and can offer up 80 kW of DC fast charging (Level 3) to electric fleet vehicles on the road, and Level 2 AC charging at up to 19.2 kW can be optionally delivered too.
Lightning Systems intends to rent or lease the mobile charging setup to fleet operators in the near future.
Source: Lightning Systems