Revel Fast Charging Hub in New York City

Universal Electric Vehicle Charging for City Dwellers

Are concentrated hubs of DC fast chargers the solution to charging personal electric vehicles in the urban environment? Revel, a New York City-based electric transportation company, is testing the concept of EV charging Superhubs.

I recently visited the Revel Superhub in Brooklyn and it was impressive. The charging stations are located in an open parking lot at 467 Marcy Ave in the Bed-Stuy section of Brooklyn. There are 25 charging stations all wrapped in bright blue, the same color as the fleet of Teslas that Revel uses in their electric vehicle ride hailing service.

The Revel Superhub uses 25 stand-alone fast chargers manufactured by Tritium. The RTM75 fast chargers can deliver up to 75 kW according to specifications. The Tritium fast chargers came stock with both a CCS and a CHAdeMO connector.

Universal Chargers Adapted for Teslas

Revel has retrofitted all but three of the chargers with an off-the-shelf Tesla CHAdeMO adapter that allows Tesla vehicles to use the chargers. This is a clever work around to allow Revel to serve the Tesla market which comprises the majority of electric vehicles on the road right now. This is similar to what EVgo is doing with their DC fast chargers. [EVgo Adds Tesla Plugs to DMV Area Fast Chargers]

The EV charging Superhub is open to the public 24/7. In contrast to many other fast charging sites in New York City, there is no entrance fee or cost for parking. All you pay for is the electricity itself which is $0.39 per kilowatt hour plus tax.

Will the concept of EV fast charging hubs be successful? I will keep an eye open for more of these.