Flywheel Fast Charging Station for Electric Vehicles

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Innovate UK
Innovate UK
Innovate UK
Innovate UK
Innovate UK

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Dec. 1, 2019

Jan. 31, 2022

Gyrotricity is helping to address Highways England's challenge of how to reinforce the local electricity network on their Strategic Road Network to cope with increased future demand from electric vehicle (EV) charging without excessive cost. This is a nationwide problem. A recent House of Commons report estimated enhancements to the UK's electricity network to cope with the electrification of transport could cost up to £16 billion.

Planning for local electricity network reinforcement is difficult because the rate of uptake of EVs cannot be accurately forecast. The problem becomes more acute as fast charging becomes more common. Vehicles that today require 7 or 22kW of AC power to charge will gradually be joined by vehicles that require 150 - 400kW DC. Because no one can predict when all this will happen, a low cost and modular way to reinforce local electricity networks near fast charging stations, as needed, will be desirable. Gyrotricity will directly address this problem.

The use of flywheels, or 'kinetic energy storage,' specifically addresses super-fast energy transfer to compliment base load energy supplied by the grid, batteries, etc. Installed on forecourts near EV charging points, they build charge slowly when there is no demand and then dump that energy at high speed into an EV at a lower cost than batteries and with no thermal problems, no fire risk, very long life and easy recyclability. In effect, flywheels buffer high peak electricity demand and unburden the grid from having to provide sudden power peaks that incur both high capital and operating costs.

Gyrotricity is developing breakthrough flywheel performance that addresses traditional safety, cost and power loss issues. Working with centres of research excellence at a number of UK universities, Gyrotricity is ensuring that the best technology available in the UK will go into a world leading product that addresses the next phase of roading electrification and power management.