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Siemens SICHARGE D Rapid Charger Debuts In Asia Pacific

The main claim to fame of this new Siemens fast charging station is its 96% peak efficiency. 

Siemens has recently launched its SICHARGE D public fast charger over here in the Asian Pacific region. The latest in a long line of EV rapid charging stations arriving on the market, this particular smart charger differentiates itself from the competition by touting to be one of the most DC chargers on the market today. 

Rated with a constant efficiency of above 95.5% and a peak efficiency of 96%, the SICHARGE D claims to ensure that ‘almost all the generated electricity reaches the car to be charged’. What this in essence means for the lay man therefore is that their EVs will be charged at a comparatively faster rate, while the operator will see a relative reduction in overall operational costs too. 

Continuing on the operational side of things, the SICHARGE D also boasts an iF DESIGN Award-winning User Interface (UI) and Service Design. The main highlight of which being its integrated 24-inch adjustable display, that Siemens claims to be able for use ‘beyond interfacing with the charging process such as digital menu boards, information kiosks or outdoor advertising’. 

In terms of the charging process meanwhile, the SICHARGE D features 2 DC ports and an AC outlet as standard, with up to 2 more DC plugs to be available as an option. In order to support all 5 of these outputs, a dynamic parallel charging approach has hence been implemented, whereby each connection accounts for each connected car’s individual power demand and then automatically adapts the charging process to the EV’s battery technology and charging status. 

Now delving deeper into the technical specs of the SICHARGE D, up to 1,000 V and 1,000 A of voltage and current respectively can be supported across its DC outlets. Charging power of this Siemens charger is also scalable from 160 W to 300 W, either from the start or through plug-and-play upgrades. 

“Public fast charging networks are an essential factor in driving a sustainable future in eMobility in Asia Pacific. By ensuring that charging is as effortless and as fast as people need it to be, we’re making electric vehicles a viable option for more people. In addition, the SICHARGE D’s upgradeable and scalable fast charging technologies allows e-charging service providers and electric vehicle users to expand their investments step by step,” said Siddhant Gupta, Head of Future Grid for Siemens in Asia Pacific.

As for whether any of these SICHARGE D chargers will be making its way to Malaysia, there has yet been any news on that front yet. Though to anyone who wishes to know more about these public rapid charging stations from Siemens, further details could be found in the press release below. 

 

PRESS RELEASE: Siemens has launched SICHARGE D, a new public fast charging and high-powered compact electric vehicle charger (IEC standard) providing one of the highest peak efficiencies on the market. It has scalable charging power and dynamic power sharing. A perfect fit for any cityscape, it is suited for highway and urban charging stations, city parking as well as shopping malls.

“Public fast charging networks are an essential factor in driving a sustainable future in eMobility in Asia Pacific. By ensuring that charging is as effortless and as fast as people need it to be, we’re making electric vehicles a viable option for more people. In addition, the SICHARGE D’s upgradeable and scalable fast charging technologies allows e-charging service providers and electric vehicle users to expand their investments step by step,” said Siddhant Gupta, Head of Future Grid for Siemens in Asia Pacific.

Featuring best-in-class technology, this smart charger is the winner of the world-renowned iF DESIGN Award 2021 in the categories of User Interface (UI) and Service Design. For an improved user experience, an integrated 24-inch adjustable display allows SICHARGE D to be operated barrier-free and opens new opportunities for customers to use this flexible screen for tasks beyond interfacing with the charging process such as digital menu boards, information kiosks or outdoor advertising.

The sleek and compact SICHARGE D has a scalable charging power from 160kW up to 300 kW, either from the start or through plug-and-play upgrades. Furthermore, the charger supports voltages between 150 and 1,000 volts (V) and currents of up to 1,000 amperes (A) across all DC outlets. This enables full power loads for future vehicles as well as the lower voltage charging rates demanded by today’s mainstream vehicles. Additionally, SICHARGE D can be configured with either a CCS2 (Combined Charging System) or a CHAdeMO connector cable with varying capacities of up to 400A or a 500A liquid-cooled system.

With a constant efficiency of above 95.5 percent and a peak efficiency of 96 percent, the new SICHARGE D ensures that almost all the generated electricity reaches the car to be charged. For charging service providers and electric vehicle users, this means reduced operational costs. In addition, the charger allows an easy upgrade of charging power to meet future technological developments: Even if the charging capacities of most electric vehicles are still limited today, they will be able to accept higher charging power in the future and demand higher voltage ranges.

Although the number of electric vehicles is growing, today’s investments in infrastructure are challenging. With SICHARGE D, charging service providers and electric vehicle users will be able to time their investments according to market demands as the option to expand the charger with up to two external dispensers to charge up to five cars in parallel will be possible in the future. The standard configuration will have two DC and one AC outlet housed in a compact design to optimize parking spaces.

The new charger combines all these features with dynamic parallel charging. That means, it accounts for the individual power demand of each connected car and automatically adapts the charging process to the electric vehicle’s battery technology and charging status. This optimizes charging time as the connected cars get the maximum power they need without any additional manual intervention.

To ensure maximum uptime and highest availability of the charger, digital connected services is included in individual service contracts with customers. These services range from preventive and corrective maintenance, remote firmware updates, spare parts, support, and consulting as well as training.

Joshua Chin

Automotive journalist. Professional work on dsf.my and automacha.com. Personal writing found at driveeveryday.me. Instagram: @driveeveryday

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