The Government of Canada announced this week an investment of $25 million to boost the zero-emission vehicle industry.
Of this amount, $1.5 million has been allocated to the Quebec firm Polara for the development of its charging infrastructure concept called Chrgpk (“chargepack”).
The company aims to significantly improve the Chrgpks energy efficiency and to offer new features for the unit, including an integrated energy management system and vehicle-to-grid charging capabilities.
The funding received by Polara was part of the Decarbonization of Road Transport component of the Energy Innovation Program. It will be used to support research, development and demonstration of advanced technologies for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.
Version 2.0
“The Chrgpk will soon be available in an enhanced version. New features will reduce energy consumption and grid pressure, while removing a barrier to the adoption of electrification among commercial vehicle fleets,” Polara said in a press release.
A roadmap has been established and a first draft completed. The team is now focused on completing the design, programming, assembly, and testing of the new Chrgpks features.
While the deployment site is yet to be determined, the Chrgpks 2.0 will be deployed with at least six terminals: 3 AC terminals and 3 DC terminals. The project will last two years, and the following tests and fine-tuning will be carried out to validate various improvements:
- Vehicle-to-grid or vehicle-to-everything integration to optimize energy use and costs;
- More efficient energy management that adapts in real time to received data, such as electricity rates or the energy needs of other vehicles;
- A more optimal charging speed to maintain an adequate battery temperature, increasing its lifespan, performance and safety;
- A reduction of harmonics from AC to DC conversion in order to protect electronic equipment and increase the efficiency of the unit.
“This financial support from the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources not only confirms the relevance of our vision, but also concretely accelerates our ability to transform fleet charging in Canada,” said Sébastien Fournier, president of Polara, in the release. “Chrgpk 2.0 is much more than a project: it is a direct response to the pressing needs of commercial transport in the context of energy transition,” he added.
