Electric vehicle infrastructure may get a boost from new charging station
August 28, 2012Electric vehicles gain ground despite shaky infrastructure
Electric vehicles are gaining ground with consumers in the U.S. despite an infrastructure that is still incapable of supporting them on a massive scale. Companies invested in electric vehicles have been hard at work trying to address the issue of a lackluster infrastructure. One of these companies, Princeton Satellite Systems, which traditionally focused solely on the aerospace and simulation sectors, has made significant progress in making the infrastructure for electric vehicles more efficient and capable.
SunStation provides vehicles with solar energy
The company has unveiled a new system it calls SunStation. SunStation makes use of solar panels, harvesting the power of the sun to provide vehicles with electricity. The company suggests that its solar energy station could charge a hybrid electric vehicle in approximately one hour, with pure electric vehicles having a charge time of eight hours. While charging times may not be something revolutionary, the major attraction of the SunStation system is that it is completely autonomous of an energy grid.
SunStation could be used for more than electric vehicles
Because a SunStation is equipped with its own solar energy system, it does not draw upon electricity that is part of a city’s of nation’s energy grid. Though the system is designed to be used for electric vehicles, it can easily be modified to work with an assortment of electronics that require batteries. Because of its autonomous nature, SunStation may be a viable way to bring electricity to impoverished communities that do not have access to it, or be used as a back-up power system in the event of an electrical outage.
Companies begin showing interest in SunStation
Though SunStation may have a myriad of applications, electric vehicles will remain the focus of the system. Princeton Satellite Systems notes that some companies, such as Starbucks, have expressed interest in making use of the SunStation system. Theoretically, such companies could install the system outside of their stores, giving consumers a place to charge their electric vehicles.