Revel, a maker of electric scooters, is getting into the electric vehicle (EV) charging business with plans to build fast charging superhubs in New York City.
The first superhub will be built in Brooklyn, New York, and Revel claims it will be the largest universal fast charging depot in North America with 30 chargers open to the public and accessible to any EV brand. Revel said it will be the first of a network of fast charging superhubs opened across New York City.
Revel said the move is to promote the widespread adoption of EVs and meet the demand for EV fast charging because of this growth in adoption of the emissions-free vehicles.
Revel said the expansion into EV charging is the first new product line since launching a shared fleet of electric mopeds in 2018.
The move to EVs is off to a fast start in 2021 after automotive OEMs announced support for the transition to the more environmentally friendly cars including General Motors, which will transition away from gas- and diesel-engine vehicles and Daimler, which will focus more on electrification. The Biden Administration has also pledged to replace all current government vehicles with electric models.
The first superhub will be housed in a former Pfizer building, which was once the company’s first headquarters, and has been transformed into a ecosystem of small businesses and startups. Revel will use Tritium’s RTM75 model for the first 10 chargers at the Brooklyn superhub, which can provide EV drivers with 100 additional miles in about 20 minutes. The superhub, which is set to launch in the spring, will add new Tritium fast charger models later to increase charging capacity and speed.
As more OEMs switch to support EVs, an infrastructure will also need to develop in parallel to support all the new vehicles on the market. Although President Biden said the government plans to build 550,000 EV charging stations, private industry will also need to continue to build out more stations in order to match demand country-wide and relieve range-anxiety, which is bound be an ongoing issue regardless of technological advancements.
