Tritium, who are a global leader in DC fast charging technology for electric vehicles (EVs), have announced that it has been selected to participate in the Power Transfer Cohort. This is powered by the Army Applications Laboratory (AAL) in collaboration with Alion Science and Technology. This programme focuses on advancing solutions that will support remote access, rapid recharging and scalable infrastructure to help the army move to EVs.
Tritium is the only DC fast charging provider which was selected for the programme. Companies in the Cohort will work directly with the Next Generation Combat Vehicle Cross Functional Team (NGCV) and the Ground Vehicle Systems Centre (GVSC) to identify and explore EV infrastructure technologies that can work across the diverse fleet. This is made up of 225,000 army vehicles operating in the most demanding environments.
Mike Calise, Tritium president of the Americas, said: “Tritium specialises in hardware and software designed to work reliably in any high demand environment, including extreme climate conditions.
“We are thrilled to be working with the Army Application Laboratory on this important initiative to provide a rapid charging solution for a diverse set of vehicles.Our company’s innovative, scalable, and future-proof technology will be a great addition to help power the Army’s fleet.”
Designed for qualified companies that may not typically work on US Department of Defense (DoD) projects, the Cohort Programme provides non-dilutive funding to complete an intense programme that culminates in a concept design presentation to Army stakeholders.
Each cohort focuses on solving a specific problem aligned to the Army’s 16-year modernisation strategy. The Power Transfer Cohort is an eight-week programme, and each company selected to participate receives a contract for $100,000 (£72,045/€83,198) with the potential for follow-on awards.
COL Len Rosanoff, director of AAL, said: “Last year, we launched and validated this new Cohort Programme approach. We know it works, and we’re already seeing the results for our Army mission partners.
“The Power Transfer Cohort is a chance to show that this model can scale across the Army to solve other complex problems. This approach will make the Army a better business partner for industry. And we want others in the Army to know they can do this, too.”
Last autumn, Tritium unveiled their Modular Scalable Charging (MSC) platform, the first to enable truly scalable EV charging networks anywhere in the world. The hardware platform provides customers with the flexibility to increase the power level of their charger as EV charging capabilities advance, starting at 25kW and increasing to 350kW and beyond.
It’s good to see the US Army looking at cleaning up their vehicles that have to work in extreme conditions and difficult environments, especially when the combustion engine has been so prominent in the past. The Power Transfer Cohort began virtually on March 29, 2021, and is scheduled to conclude with concept design presentations to NGCV leadership on May 20, 2021.