Testing super fast charging station
Ålesund company builds a prototype in Hareid in collaboration with local industry.
If all permits are in place, Ålesund-based company Cyan Energy will soon start building a unique type of charging station for electric cars in Hareid.
Part of the secret of the patented method is that the charging station generates its own energy.
"What we want to test in Hareid is a combination of several things. We use the power grid, solar panels, and wind turbines – and produce electricity with hydrogen," explains CEO Bjørn Bjerke.
The charging station will offer charging times that EV owners can only dream of today.
"We looked at electric cars and the development of sales, and how the range was increasing. But the charging time is still too long," says Vivian Larsgård-Ingebrigtsen.
"The idea is that you should be able to charge your electric car in about the same time it takes to fill a petrol car," she adds.
Larsgård-Ingebrigtsen, who is the CFO, completed the patent work together with Bjerke.
If everything goes according to plan, the first charging station will be operational by August.
"The idea is that you should be able to charge your electric car in about the same time it takes to fill a petrol car."
Vivian Larsgård-Ingebrigtsen
Currently, the duo are the only employees at Cyan Energy. They will likely hire more in the future, but for now, they are working with local industry to realize the first charging stations.
"Except for batteries and fuel cells, we find all the expertise we need here in the region," says Bjerke.
It is no coincidence that Cyan Energy's first pilot station is located right by the entrance to the Ulmatec Group. The industrial company is involved in developing the concept.
"We have had good cooperation with Ulmatec on several projects, so it was natural for us to invite them to participate in this," says Bjerke.
Ulmatec CEO Iver Bjørnerem sees the collaboration as just the first of several steps – and believes it could become a new business area for the group.
"This is incredibly exciting for us to be part of," he says to NETT NO.
"First and foremost because it has great potential to become a new business area for us, but also because the technology in the project is of such a nature that it gives both us and the customer unique expertise to meet future technology needs."
Bjørnerem believes the project can be further developed for robotic production, and that the knowledge they acquire can be used in other segments and areas.
"This gives us many opportunities both nationally and internationally," he says."This gives us many opportunities both nationally and internationally."
Iver Bjørnerem
A challenge with today's electric cars is that the batteries do not have the capacity to receive the large amounts of power needed for fast charging. However, this is changing rapidly, and capacity is continually improving.
"Many cars today can receive around 200-300 kilowatts. But already this year, a new standard with three megawatts is coming. Then we are really talking," says Bjerke.
Capacity problems in the power grid are part of the backdrop for Cyan Energy's solution.
Because the charging stations are equipped to use hydrogen to produce electricity, they will be much less dependent on the grid's capacity.
The concept for a typical Cyan Energy station will have six charging points. Because the charging time is so short, there will not be a need for more.
"This means you don't need these large parking lots with charging points that you see being built today," says Vivian Larsgård-Ingebrigtsen.
Another part of the secret is the method used to build the station itself. It is done by creating "cells" underground that are divided according to functions.
The idea for Cyan Energy originated from a project that the parent company, Petro Well Services, had in Argentina.
At that time, it involved drilling wells for the oil industry. But the technology has proven to be applicable to charging stations for cars. Bjerke believes it is a classic example of how knowledge from the oil and gas sector is crucial for finding solutions for the green transition.
The initial goal for the Ålesund company is to build 150 charging stations, but the duo does not hide that their vision goes much further.
"In the long term, we have a goal of building 5,000 such stations," says Bjerke.
He is dead serious but admits that the Abu Dhabi-based owners have asked them to take one step at a time.
Reproduced with permission from Nett.no.
