EVgo, a subsidiary of NRG, has set up the first public fast chargers for EVs along the side of the street in the city of Sacramento California.
NRG and EVgo
Wikipedia describes NRG: “NRG Energy, Inc. is a large American energy company, dual-headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey[4][5] and Houston, Texas. It was formerly the wholesale arm of Northern States Power Company (NSP), which became Xcel Energy, but became independent in 2000. NRG Energy is involved in energy generation and retail electricity. Their portfolio includes nuclear generation, coal generation, wind generation, utility scale generation, distributed solar generation, and oil generation. NRG serves 2.9 million retail customers in Texas, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and the District of Columbia.”
NRG launched the “EVgo” network in late 2010, the first completely private public car charging station network for electric power vehicles.
A recent article notes: “The NRG eVgo SM network gives electric vehicle (EV) owners new freedom and range confidence via home and workplace charging docks, plus a network of fast charging stations conveniently located at retailers along major transportation corridors within eVgo cities. Service plans offered by eVgo can provide EV owners a home or workplace charger and use of eVgo’s Freedom Station® sites and other public charging stations. eVgo is a subsidiary of NRG Energy, Inc., a Fortune 250 company at the forefront of changing how people think about, buy and use energy. Through eVgo, NRG will provide access to hundreds of public charging sites across the United States.”
The new installation in Sacramento is on 6th Street alongside the Southside Park and just a few blocks from the major interchange of Interstate 5 and the I-80 business loop. It includes three 50-kilowatt direct current fast chargers that can provide up to 150 miles of range in less than 30 minutes charging time. However, only a few cars at present can charge at that speed including the Audi E-tron quattro to come on the market this month. The chargers can charge at lower rates for now.
The park is a popular place to hang out so those charging can visit a pond, shop at a local farmer’s market, or eat and shop at many local shops.
Charger description
The new 150 kw chargers will have both 175-kw Combo plugs as well as 100-kw CHAdeMO plugs. The 50-kw chargers will have both types of plugs rated at 50-kw. Tesla will be able to use an adapter to charge.
All six chargers are made by ABB. The company is described as follows: “ABB (ASEA Brown Boveri) (SIX: ABBN, NYSE: ABB, Nasdaq Stockholm: ABB) is a Swiss-Swedish multinational corporation headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, operating mainly in robotics, power, heavy electrical equipment and automation technology areas. It is ranked 341st in the Fortune Global 500 list of 2018 and has been a global Fortune 500 company for 24 years.”
EVgo had to get reserved parking at the charging spaces
However, EVgo was able to get authorization for this. Steven Hansen, a Sacramento Council member said: “Low-cost and convenient EV charging on our city streets will make it easy for residents and visitors alike to shift to electric vehicles and away from fossil fuels. Now … users will be able get the charge they need and take time to enjoy the park, walk to Insight Coffee, or enjoy the Sunday Farmers Market.”
The appended video describes the main features of EV charging
