Charging forward – Powerstar launches Virtue EV

Powerstar, designer and manufacturer of the Virtue energy storage system, has launched its latest innovation - Virtue EV - one of the world’s first integrated rapid/fast electric vehicle and energy storage systems.

Virtue EV is powered by a local off-grid energy storage solution, allowing a site to charge electric vehicles without investing in costly upgrades to energy infrastructures and cabling.

Due to the load and demand they place on the grid, rapid chargers are currently limited to areas where the supply is able to tolerate a sudden 50kW load and many locations would struggle to charge more than two cars simultaneously, purely due to the amount of power required.

Virtue EV provides the solution to this dilemma as it has a 50kW rapid DC and 11kW fast AC charger, which can be connected to a 16A grid supply whilst delivering 106A DC rapid charge to electric vehicles. The latest application of Virtue has 80kWh of NMC batteries, with a 50KW bi-directional Grid based inverter providing some of the storage for the NMC batteries.

The rapid/fast electric vehicle charger greatly reduces demand spikes and supplies the highest possible charging rate by utilising stored energy to manage any sudden ramp up in power. Not only does this assist the grid infrastructure, but it also reduces costs on the local network.

Virtue EV is provided with either a 6kW single or 12kW double solar canopy for integrated renewable connectivity. However, the technology also has the ability to store energy provided by the National Grid throughout the night during the cheaper off-peak tariff and use it during the day, avoiding the higher peak tariff cost, providing significant financial savings.

The continuous supply and storage of energy also provides Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) functionality for all users, ensuring power is supplied to the load at all times, even during vehicle charging.

The innovative solution can also be manufactured with a variety of value enhancing features including, Wi-Fi, a customised HMI, credit card payment facility and an online booking system.

Officially unveiled on 6th December in the presence of the Lord Mayor of Sheffield and hundreds of invited guests at the company’s 15th anniversary celebrations, Virtue EV system, which is a new application of the award-winning Virtue energy storage system, will be used in a variety of sectors and industries including public sector, retail, railways, airports and education and healthcarefacilities.

Dr. Alex Mardapittas, managing director at Powerstar, said, “By providing an off-grid locally connected storage solution and rapid/fast charging, Virtue EV will assist in meeting the increased demand for electric vehicle chargers, whilst removing the need for costly cabling and infrastructure redevelopments.

“From our launch day we have already receivedsignificant interest in Virtue EV, with businesses from avariety of sectors realising there is a demand from customers to provide a cost effective electric vehicle charging solution.”

For more information on Virtue EV, please visit .

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Photo caption:Dr. Alex Mardapittas managing director at Powerstar, using Virtue EV.

About Virtue EV:

Virtue EV was launched in December 2016, it is the latest application of the Virtue energy storage system. It provides a combined DC rapid/fast charger with energy storage and integrated solar canopies to provide up to 80kWh of storage with 50kWh bi-directional grid-tied inverters.
Amongst the benefits of Virtue EV are:

  • Enable rapid/fast EV charging without additional cabling or infrastructure changes
  • Significant cost savings by allowing charging to be undertaken off-grid at peak tariff
  • Reduce carbon emissions through using less energy to charge EV vehicles
  • Provide full UPS capabilities
  • Gain additional revenue opportunities by participating in grid incentives

Virtue EV, is designed and manufactured by Sheffield based energy management company Powerstar, who along with the Virtue energy storage solutions also manufacturer the market leading Powerstar voltage optimisation range of technologies:

About Powerstar:

  • Powerstar is a UK business, established in 2001 by Dr. Alex Mardapittas
  • It has more than 7,500 systems installed throughout the world
  • Powerstar counts landmark sites such as the Palace of Westminster, London City Hall, London Stock Exchange, Welsh Assembly, Atlantis Palm Hotel and Western Power Australia amongst its client base
  • The company also has projects with ASDA, NHS, TGI Fridays, Sheffield Hallam University, Carlsberg, InterContinental Hotel Group, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Pizza Hut and Co-operative group

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