Fuji and Coulomb team up on electric car Fast Charging stations for ChargePoint network

Fuji Electric Corporation of America and Coulomb Technologies have announced a collaboration between the companies that will bring CHADEMO DC Fast Charging stations to Coulomb's ChargePoint network. This follows moves by Coulomb's competitors, such as 350Green and eVgo, to set up competing electric car fast charging networks, and could bring a sigh of relief to those who are reluctant to join multiple electric car charging networks.

CHADEMO DC Fast Charging is an example of what some call "level 3" electric car charging. It supports faster charging than level 1 (120 volt AC) or level 2 (240 volt AC through a J1772 charging connector), but technically the correct terminology is "DC Level 2" (according to the SAE). Where todays electric cars gain between 12 miles (on a 3.3 kilowatt charge rate) to 25 miles (on a 6.6 kilowatt charge rate) of range per hour of charging, CHADEMO fast charging can add 100 miles or more per hour of charging.

As a rule of thumb, the faster the charge rate the more useful is a given electric vehicle because fast charging enables driving the vehicle for more miles per day. Of the current crop of electric cars, only the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV supports the CHADEMO DC Fast Charge protocol. The other automakers are participating in standardization through a SAE committee of a competing DC Fast Charging system.

Coulomb's ChargePoint network is the largest network of independently owned electric car charging stations in the world, with charging stations in more than 14 countries. Fuji Electric's 25 kilowatt CHADEMO DC Fast Charge station will become available in the U.S. later this year (and, yes, these stations are UL listed) and will become available on the ChargePoint network in the following months. The fast charge stations will appear in the ChargePoint smart phone applications, and will be reservable just as the existing level 2 ChargePoint stations.

“The collaboration with Fuji Electric is an important addition to the ChargePoint Network,” said Pat Romano, president and CEO of, Coulomb Technologies. “EV drivers can look forward to state-of-the-art cloud-based EV charging solutions all available on Fuji stations, With more than 300 charging stations deployed in the overseas market, Fuji Electric brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the EV Charging industry here in the US, making their product a perfect fit for our network of users.”

The Fuji fast charging station is rated for 25 kilowatts of power and requires a 200 volt 3 phase AC circuit capable of 80 amps. Other CHADEMO charging stations support higher power levels, requiring a 480 volt 3 phase AC circuit. One side effect is that fast charge through the Fuji station is less fast than the other stations. The Fuji station is said to recharge a 25 kilowatt-hour battery pack in 60 minutes, versus the 30 minutes claimed for other fast charging stations. While 60 minutes is a longer time than the 30 minutes, the lower power circuit should cost less to run, and the time is much less than the 6-7 hours to recharge on a level 2 charger.

Fuji has said in the past "EV Charging manufacturers will have to invest heavily in R&D to offer consumers the latest technologies, while achieving volume efficiencies to reduce product prices" referring to the expensive and costly-to-run charging stations made by other manufacturers. The company has already deployed over 300 fast charging stations world-wide. The company states it has learned, after these deployments, that there is "a growing concern among U.S. business owners and fleet managers with regards to the utility costs and peak demand charges associated with 50kW chargers."

The 25 kilowatt DC Fast Charger is a positive response to that concern. “There has been a lot of positive feedback surrounding our decision to enter the U.S. market with our 25kW DC Quick Charger,” says Butkovich. “Manufacturers and EV Integrators must help make compelling business cases for the development of EV infrastructure. At EVS26, we will show business owners and fleet managers how they can enjoy the convenience of quick charging while maintaining reasonable utility costs.”

The charging station will be on display next week at the EVS26 electric vehicle trade conference.