FreeWire Technologies, the California-based specialist in battery-integrated electric vehicle charging equipment, announced an international expansion.
The company soon (April 19, 2023) will launch its European Headquarters in Banbury, Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom to support sales in Europe. The new site will include a Sales & Demonstration Center and will serve as a hub for the company’s European operations.
According to the press release, FreeWire already installed its Boost Chargers in several first European countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain. The initial focus is on the UK, Ireland, and Benelux region, along with Spain and Italy in 2023 before expanding to other markets.
James Jean-Louis, European Head of Sales at FreeWire said:
“Our expansion in Europe is a milestone FreeWire has reached following a year of major growth. We have increased our headcount by 70% and deployed Boost Chargers in five new countries just in the last 12 months. FreeWire is well-positioned to tap into the growing European market. We see a major opportunity to offer reliable, flexible, and cost-effective infrastructure that can be deployed quickly to support the rapid increase in demand for ultrafast EV charging in Europe.”
The expansion into the European market does not surprise us, as there is high demand for battery-integrated EV fast charging stations, which in some locations are cost-saving and time-saving solutions.
In the case of FreeWire, its Boost Charger 200 model offers a power output of up to 200 kilowatts (kW). The charger is equipped with a CCS connector (up to 200 kW) and additionally a CHAdeMO connector (up to 100 kW). When charging two vehicles simultaneously, the power output is up to 100 kW per vehicle.
Interestingly, such high power output is available with an input power of just 27 kW (three-phase AC or split-phase 240 V AC). That’s because the charger is also equipped with a 160-kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery pack (battery cells come from Envision AESC).
As long as there will be a limited number of vehicles per day, the battery pack will work as a buffer to deliver high power at a location with power constraints.