Powerstation develops ecological charging station with hemp plants
Hemp as a sustainable material
The modern and classy design of the new Powerstation AC charging station cannot give away that most of it is made of recycled materials.
The detachable hood of the housing will be made of aluminium, a material that is 100% recyclable without loss of quality. The sides of the hood will be composed of biocomposites produced by sister company C-biotech. C-biotech plants hemp plants on PFOS-contaminated soils. The plant's deep roots absorb PFOS and nitrate after which it is stored in the plant's leaves and heads. However, the stems are pollution-free and, once harvested, extremely suitable for processing into durable and strong building materials.
Besides the purifying effect, the roots in turn bring oxygen back into the soil and space for water to penetrate deeper into the ground. The plants also remove large amounts of CO2 from the air and increase biodiversity in the environment. The growing process of the hemp plant is also very ecological; the crops grow without the use of pesticides, with a minimal amount of water and can be harvested up to 3 times a year.
Refurbish at end-of-life
Although the lifespan of a standard charging station is usually 2 lease periods, the performance of the control usually starts to decline after 4-5 years. In most cases, software updates are done or the installation is completely replaced.
Powerstation aims to maintain optimal performance for the customer by replacing the brain of the installation with a new controller and refurbished components, allowing them to minimise the ecological impact. The customer can choose to continue using the charging station himself or have a new one installed. In the latter case, the existing station is offered to other customers as a refurbished model.
Besides the sustainable components of the charging post itself, ecological alternatives are also considered for the packaging.
Functionalities for an optimal user experience
Although during development great care is taken in terms of design and sustainability, the charging station also offers a wide range of functionalities such as a general energy capacity tariff, solar charging, peak shaving, static & dynamic load-balancing, etc.
The charging stations will also be equipped with a V2G (Vehicle To Grid) feature. This will allow users to charge without a charge card or app thanks to the automatic authentication technology. Powerstation will extend this feature at a later stage where the vehicle can inject power back into the grid, allowing it to be used as a driving battery for various applications.
Wide range, flexible arrangement
Depending on their charging needs, users can choose a particular arrangement with 1, 2 or 4 plugs. Thanks to the sophisticated design, the charging station can be positioned extremely flexibly in the space. This gives the user the option of positioning the pole at any 360° angle, depending on the space available.
With this development, Powerstation further expresses its ambition to become a global player in the market of charging solutions within a framework of sustainable development. The fully in-house production also reduces the company's dependence on external partners and thus avoids the well-known logistical problems in the supply of the various components.
The poles are expected to be orderable as from Q1 2023.
