Tritium DCFC Limited, a global developer and manufacturer of direct current fast chargers for electric vehicles (EVs), has announced the opening of its new EV fast charger manufacturing facility. This is also the company’s first US-based EV fast charger manufacturing facility.
The new facility located in Lebanon, Tennessee will employ more than 500 locals over the next five years. This will help to build EV charging infrastructure, meet US government goals and electrify transportation across America and beyond.
Tritium’s Tennessee facility will initially produce the company’s award-winning RTM fast charger and is expected to start production on the PKM150 early next year. These advanced DC fast chargers are compatible with all EVs and are compact, reliable and cost-effective.
They are expected to fulfil requirements for the recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). This provides $370 billion for climate change initiatives to help reduce carbon emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030.
Additionally, Tritium’s PKM150 fast charger is expected to meet Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Buy America Act standards in Q1 2023, making that fast charger an ideal candidate for National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program funding.
Jane Hunter, Tritium CEO, said: “The opening of our Tennessee factory is an important milestone for Tritium, for Tennessee and most importantly, for American drivers. As many as 35 million electric vehicles are expected to be in use by 2030 and those vehicles will require more powerful and convenient charging infrastructure.
“It’s crucial that America’s charging infrastructure is built right here in the US. Americans will rely on it to get to work, to school, to doctor’s appointments, and more. It needs to be reliable, and it needs to be able to grow to meet their needs.
“And when we make chargers here in the US, we reduce supply chain and shipping delays, and we help build the manufacturing ecosystem that will employ more Americans.”
Next year, Tritium is expected to produce its top-of-the-line PKM150 chargers, which were launched at the end of last year. These chargers mark a significant improvement in EV charging technology, providing customers with flexibility when creating charging sites. Customers can connect up to four PKM150 fast chargers to one power cabinet, saving money on equipment, installation, maintenance and more.
The PKM line of chargers are created with swappable modules saving customers time on easy maintenance and upgradeability. This enables technicians to replace modules in just minutes. This flexibility gives customers the ability to choose between 100kW or 150kW of dual-cable charging station power depending on their business needs.
Glen Casey, Tritium COO, said: “I’ve worked in manufacturing for more than 30 years and I can truly say that this new facility is world-class. Like our products, we’ve designed our manufacturing process to be modular and scalable.
“This design allowed us to bring the Tennessee factory online in five months, which is one of the fastest setup times I’ve experienced in my career.
“Our Tennessee staff are exceptionally well-trained and experienced, and I look forward to continuing to work with them to build the fast charger infrastructure required to electrify global transportation.”
Tritium recently announced it was partnering EVCS to deploy additional 300 new EV fast chargers in California, Oregon and Washington. The order, which consisted of 300 50kW Tritium RTM fast chargers, makes the total Tritium DC fast charger contribution to the EVCS network over 800. Tritium also announced a multi-year contract with bp. The partnership bp will see Tritium supply chargers and related services to support bp’s global electric car charging network.
