GE Wattstation electric car charging

Something from our friends across the water, Industrial designer Yves Behar has announced the unveiling of the new GE Wattstation. This is a component part of General Electric’s ‘ecomagination’ initiative.

The idea is an electric vehicle charging station with smart grid technology. The idea is that this means copmanies can manage the impact of electric vehicle charging on the local and national grid. It is also proposed to dramatically decreases the time required for charging electric cars e.g. a 24 kWh battery will take 4 to 8 hours to charge rather than the standard 8-12.

Without a doubt, providing quicker and more accessible charging options is key to improving the uptake of electric vehicles. The devil will be in the detail though and the workings of the smart grid technology will be crucial to see if these can be integrated well within our current electricity demands.