Today, ZipCharge has revealed the new GoHub, the world’s first portable electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure for shared, public use. The GoHub is a neat public charging provision, providing a community-based solution that can be installed anywhere, at a much lower cost and faster rate, while enabling any parking space to be a charging spot.
The GoHub contains multiple ZipCharge Go EV powerbanks providing convenient, flexible and low-cost energy. It is a secure way of housing, recharging and providing access to the ZipCharge Go so anyone can access a portable powerbank at the lowest cost.
The GoHub is modular and flexible in size which makes it suitable for a wide range of locations whether its urban or rural, including on-street, in car parks, at work and in private environments.
The ability to roll out electric vehicle charging infrastructure at speed is essential to allow national and local governments to deploy it at a faster rate where it is needed the most to support mass electric vehicle adoption. Electric vehicle owners will now have the choice to purchase the Go outright, on subscription or rent one through the GoHub.
Jonathan Carrier, ZipCharge Co-founder, said: “We intend to establish the world’s first vertically integrated ‘energy point operator’ (EPO) to serve hundreds of millions of people around the world so everyone can access convenient and low-cost energy.
“The ZipCharge Go and the GoHub enable the storage of clean energy, which can then be distributed for a multitude of uses from charging an EV to powering equipment.
“We predict our portable powerbanks will outsell fixed home chargers by 2030, in the same way mobile phones overtook landlines. That’s because the Go can be used for more than charging EV charging, it’s a portable energy storage device for personal energy management.
“We have the bold ambition to deploy 100,000 GoHubs globally by 2030 to support EV charging, local grid resiliency and energy democracy.”
In its base form, the GoHub will be available in two variants, including a single sided unit housing five ZipCharge Go portable powerbanks and a double-sided GoHub with 10. Both fit comfortably into a regular parking space.
It can also be sited on the pavement or close to where power already exists. All GoHubs can be intelligently reconfigured, expanded and connected together with minimal investment, growing in tandem with the adoption of electric vehicles.
ZipCharge Co-founder, Richie Sibal “The Go and the GoHub are integral components of our future energy platform, one that combines hardware, software and distributed energy storage in the home and our public energy points to provide a wide range of energy services for our customers.
“We will use technology to solve the inequality that exists around access to charging and energy by placing a ZipCharge Go unit within five minutes’ walk of where people live and park.”
Take the charger to the vehicle wherever you park
Through the GoHub, ZipCharge Go powerbanks will be available to rent 24 hours a day with the option to pre-reserve a Go in the app. As the user approaches the correct bay door of the GoHub automatically opens.
Users then pull out the charger from its dock inside the GoHub, wheel it to the vehicle and plug in. Once finished, the user is notified on their smartphone, they collect the Go and return it to the bay allocated via the app.
Transparent pricing
Anytime access will allow anyone to use a Go powerbank for a simple to understand fee: £1, €1 or $1 for a 4kWh charge with no connection fee. This simple and transparent pricing allows everyone to know what their daily driving will cost.
ZipCharge aims to provide lower prices per kWh compared to fixed AC charging given the integrated Energy Storage System in the GoHub allows ZipCharge to take cleaner, cheaper electricity overnight.
Inclusive features to power communities and enable electric mobility
The GoHub has been conceived with every community in mind, integrating a range of optional technologies. These include rainwater harvesting, Wi-Fi hotspot, mobile device charging, a green living roof and renewable energy generation, including innovative wind turbines suitable for both urban and rural environments developed by Flower Turbines in the Netherlands.
The GoHub can also provide sustainable charging solutions for other forms of mobility with an optional micromobility docking station for eScooters and eBikes that integrates with any provider.
A circular approach to integrated second life battery storage
The GoHubs re-use end-of-life batteries from the ZipCharge Go as the integrated Energy Storage System. This presents a genuine circular approach to extending battery life and usability, while also lowering cost.
The integrated ESS in the GoHubs provides resiliency to the local grid by charging the Go chargers at times of peak grid demand, feeding the portable chargers at time of peak energy demand, reducing grid dependence and building resiliency.
Improving the business case for public AC charging
The GoHubs will be three times cheaper and three times faster to install versus fixed on street level 2 chargers, transforming the payback period for AC public charging from 8-10 years to less than two.
This would allow the government and public funding support to install more chargers in more locations. They can also be placed where the grid can best cope with the extra load, as well as being far less disruptive to the streetscape.
GoHubs will come with a suite of technology support. They will all be networked to the ZipCharge cloud and back-office with energy management and remote monitoring software to ensure operational safety and optimise charging costs and energy use.
