News, Technology ,

AN Australian company this week unveiled a world first in rural electrification with a specific solution that allows reliable three-phase power for appliances and EV chargers.

Delta Electronic Australia unveiled the off-grid solar solution at the Smart Energy 2022 expo held this week at Sydney’s ICC.

Delta regional manager Shane Arnold told GoAutoNews Premium that the significance of the solution was that it avoids problems where rural grid electricity is available, such as low or erratic voltage, frequency issues and grid failures.

“It offers solutions for farmers, for example, such as being able to provide three-phase power from single-phase, taking the single phase in and delivering three phase,” he said.

“For EV owners, it means we can supply solar panels and batteries and the infrastructure to charge the vehicle away from the electricity grid.”

Delta Country Manager, David Leal, said the rural solution was one of a list of new products launched at the Smart Energy 2022 expo.

David Leal

Product highlights include a new V2X charger, DC Wallbox 50kW charger and the solar off-grid solution, specifically designed for electrification in rural areas.

The products were called by Delta “a seismic shift in EV charging technology to offer consumers greater efficiency, transparency and flexibility.”

Mr Leal said that by partnering with Everty, Delta can offer customers a regionally-specific service when using Delta’s EV chargers, unlike other off-the-shelf overseas alternatives.

“Most importantly, this partnership will give consumers the power to choose when and how they charge, and reap the benefits of that choice,” he said.

The partnership, a first within the industry, will see Delta’s range of consumer and public- facing smart chargers enabled with Everty’s intuitive software.

The alliance doesn’t only imprint on the rural electrification products. Everty-enabled Delta AC and DC electric vehicle chargers give users access to real-time information on charger condition and maintenance.

This has the potential for significant cost savings for users by offering the ability to select charging of electric vehicles at off-peak periods, when energy rates are at their lowest.

Everty Founder and CEO, Carola Jonas, said that the “true cost of living is of great concern to all Australians.”

“As we’ve seen recently, fuel security and rising petrol costs is a major contributor to household pressures,” she said.

“EVs represent a cleaner, more sustainable form of mobility, and Everty’s platform ensures they are also the most cost efficient.”

Carola Jonas

Delta’s extensive range covers destination and journey chargers; starting from 3kW up to 22kW AC chargers for home and semi-commercial use, and from 25kW up to 200kW fast and ultra-fast DC chargers for use in fleets, fuel sites and highway charging.

Mr Arnold said that another benefit of the system was that it was designed to avoid complete breakdown.

“Current off-grid systems use like a 10kW inverter, for example, delivers 10kW of power,” he said.

“If that inverter fails, you lose all 10kW so you lose the whole system. Ours is made up of smaller 1.2kW modules. If a 1.2kW module goes down, you just pull it out and put in a new one. And the system automatically works again.”

He said that losing one 1.2kW module is unlikely to affect a homeowner at all because most homes have access to 14kW, leaving sufficient electricity left for the majority of demands.

“If a module goes down in a rural area, for example, we can remotely isolate it and try a firmware update. If not, each module is 1.7kg and fit into an air bag, so we can then ship it to the site and the homeowner can simply swap it.

“We call it ‘hot swappable’ because, generally, you have to shut the system down to do this and then get the electrician out. Our modules can be swapped out and the system can be up within 30 seconds.”

He said that storage capacity is variable, from 2.4kW/h to 77kW/h in one cabinet. The system is also modular so more panels or batteries can be added.

“Everything is pre-wired to accommodate expansion,” he said.

“These are assembled in Sydney and so they can be shipped ready to be installed. As the customer needs grow, we can accommodate that with more modules.”

By Neil Dowling

Manheim
Gumtree
Manheim
Manheim
DealerCell
AdTorque Edge
MotorOne
Gumtree
PitcherPartners
Schmick