Bratislava – The first ever battery assisted electric vehicle fast charging station – GridBooster (GB) – in Central and Eastern Europe was launched in Bratislava’s Avion Shopping Mall today. This is the first in a series of steps which have the capacity to fundamentally change the energy system as we know it, for the better.

The technology consists of two 50 kW fast charging stations supported by a nearby energy storage unit (battery) capable of storing 52 kWh of energy and dispensing up to 60 kW of power at once. Normal fast charging stations draw their electricity directly from the energy grid. This new system will draw energy from either the battery or the grid or both, if needed. The battery could be recharged from the grid when electricity prices are low, or from a local renewable source such as a solar panels, and is able to do so slowly and economically.

The game-changing potential of this technology is not only better local energy management, though this is significant. It also allows for local, onsite – renewable – energy generation and storage by so-called ‘prosumers’ – those who both produce and consume their own energy. When similar systems are deployed in larger numbers they would be able to deliver flexible storage capacity to the whole energy grid as well. This will stabilize the grid, support the integration of more renewable sources into the energy system and enable us to change from the current system where a large, centralized energy utility generates electricity and sells it to us via its grid.

The GridBooster will also be able to charge up to four vehicles at the same time. Power from the batteries can be distributed among all the vehicles charging at the same time via the Delta efficient energy management software (DEEMS) communicating with the battery and the onboard chargers in each vehicle. DEEMS will monitor energy from the grid and provide a boost with energy from the battery whenever needed or optimal. In this way energy flows and sources can be optimized.

AVION shopping mall previously had one fast charging station, capable of powering one vehicle at a time. This new technology is first of all an upgrade, allowing up to four vehicles to be charged simultaneously, supporting more electric vehicle drivers and more customers. GB can also distribute energy between the vehicles so they charge as rapidly as possible.

With this first GridBooster, GreenWay will test the possibility of using its own charging network for intelligent energy services in line with our vision of a charging network which enables the integration of electric vehicles into a New Energy System based on renewable energy sources, distributed prosumers, smart grids and distributed energy storage.

This moment is analogous to the first installations of solar – a new technology was coming that needed to be tested and refined and that was seen as an outlier. Now, solar contributes 11.2% of all renewable energy in the EU, and is a core part of decarbonization strategies. The batteries in this station provide significant storage capacity – and especially flexibility – to the grid, and will be a core element of the decarbonization and decentralization mix in the decades to come.

European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič: “Given the major uptake of renewables, it is crucial not only to produce clean energy but also to develop efficient, commercial, and accessible solutions for storing it. That is where batteries come in, redefining our transport as well as our energy market. I applaud Greenway Infrastructure and Delta for setting the trend in this area. Their work will also help plug the gap in charging infrastructure, essential for consumers’ trust in zero emission vehicles. We estimate that 800,000 public charging points are needed in the EU by 2020.”

GreenWay co-founder & Managing Partner Peter Badik: “This is the first step in our strategy to build an EV charging network which not only delivers electrons to vehicles to move them, but will also allow to use enormous potential of millions of EV to provide their storage capacity and flexibility to energy grid. GridBooster is the new addition to our nationwide networks in Slovakia and Poland where we will test these services. Preparing the charging infrastructure for massive EV rollout is complex and challenging task and I’m happy that GreenWay is leading this effort in Central and Eastern Europe.

Delta EMEA President and General Manager Jackie Chang: “We believe in technology and collaboration, and are dedicated to providing innovative, clean and energy-efficient solutions for a better tomorrow, by working closely with our customers and partners.”

Janom CEO Jan Miskovsky: “Janom sees the growing importance of smart storage technologies in the development of intelligent EV charging networks of the future. We are glad that we can participate in the development of such solutions and their practical implementation in Slovakia. From here it can spread to many other countries in Europe, especially the UK where we have a strong presence via our company Wattstor.”

This deployment was made possible via a European Commission Connecting Europe Facility grant to Greenway Infrastructure to deploy electric vehicle charging infrastructure along the north central TEN-T corridor. Greenway will also operate and maintain the charger, and it will be a part of the Greenway network, the largest EV charging network in Central and Eastern Europe. The fast charger and battery technology are provided by Delta, a world leading technology company developing a broad array of smart, energy-efficient solutions.

Basic GridBooster characteristics:

Power input 50kW

Power output 100kW (50kW from battery, 50kW from grid)

Battery capacity 52 kWh

Available EV charging options CHAdeMO, CCS and AC 22kW