Tritium-engineered HPC unveiled by Ionity

The Ionity network in Europe has unveiled its next generation Halo EV 350kW DC high power charger (HPC) which promises to change the face of Europe’s highways.

Engineered by Brisbane’s Tritium, the new HPC unit is ready to be rolled out as part of the agreement for Tritium to supply 200 Ionity charging sites with up to six 350kW DC HPCs 2.6 metres high.

It can add 350km of range in just 10 minutes, the new design revealed at the the IAA 2019 Motor Show in Frankfurt from September 12-22.

The first site for the new charger is likely to be Greve in Denmark, with the subsequent rollout of the Halo chargers to expand across Scandinavia, particularly in Norway.

Features include a distinctive Halo atop the charger unit which emits enough light to remove the need for additional lighting around the charge site, while also providing a beacon for the recharging driver.

The charger also offers one of the most advanced human machine interface (HMI) screens available to EV drivers offering seven languages and contactless pay options, a near flush compartment and free-cooling ventilation capabilities.

In March the new charger designs won the gold award at the 2019 iF Design Awards where 67 experts said “the Ionity electric charger is a highly aesthetic answer to one of the key issues of e-mobility: long distance travel”.

“We are confident our revolutionary next generation high power chargers will accelerate the breakthrough momentum of the expanding Ionity network,” Ionity chief executive officer Michael Hajesch says.

The charger – conceived by Ionity and its partner Designworks – is the result of 18 months of research, engineering and testing from Tritium and a co-operative effort between the companies to keep to the original design as much as possible.

“The concept of the chargers was revolutionary from the outset, and with this comes the challenge to industrialise the concept in full,” Tritium co-founder and chief executive officer David Finn says.

Ionity is a joint venture between Daimler, Ford, BMW Group and the Volkswagen Group with Porsche AG.