Electrify America Thinks Hyper and Ultra Are Good Names for the Fastest Chargers
Electrify America is introducing new names for its DC fast chargers: Hyper-Fast and Ultra-Fast.If you can’t immediately identify which of those is faster, welcome to the club. There’s no specific definition for these terms, but at least EA is also using numbers and icons to clarify that Hyper-Fast means 350-kilowatt charging while Ultra-Fast is 150 kW.EA is also introducing new Balanced chargers that will balance the energy distribution among lower- and higher-capacity EVs so that a Chevy Bolt EV on a 350-kW station isn’t stopping someone else from accessing the higher rate of charge.
There are discussion threads on the Internet about people debating whether “ultra” or “hyper” is the larger prefix going back at least a decade. We understand the technical reasons people pick sides in these discussions—etymology vs. common usage, for example—but the simple fact is that in the U.S., the difference between hyper and ultra is not exactly set in stone.
This brings us to Electrify America’s announcement this week that it will rebrand its DC fast-chargers for electric vehicles so that it’s easier for EV drivers to plug into the charger that best suits their car. The names for the two highest-level chargers are, drum roll please, Hyper-Fast and Ultra-Fast.
Electrify America
For some people, the names themselves will explain which is higher, but for the rest of us, the good news is that EA’s similar names can be ignored if you pay attention to colors and icons. Here’s how they differ:
Hyper-Fast stations are indeed the most powerful DC fast-chargers. They have a power delivery of up to 350 kW and will use green signs with three lightning bolt icons. When an EV that can accept these higher charging speeds uses a Hyper-Fast charger, it can “provide about 20 miles of driving range per minute of charging depending on the EV’s charging capability.” Many EVs can accept power above 150 kW these days, including the Lucid Air, Porsche Taycan, Hummer EV, BMW i4 and iX, Rivian R1T and R1S, Kia EV6, or Hyundai Ioniq 5.
That threshold is important because EA’s Ultra-Fast stations will offer power delivery of up to 150 kW. If your car can’t accept rates higher than 150 kW, don’t plug into a Hyper-Fast station. Instead, look for the teal color and two lightning bolt icons of the Ultra-Fast stations. Again depending on the car’s charging capability, Ultra-Fast stations can add around nine miles of range to a compatible EV for each minute they’re connected.
The first 350-kW charging station in the U.S. was installed in 2017, before many EVs that could take advantage of this increased speed were on the market. Now that the cars have arrived—and more are on the way—understanding the difference will make it easier for EV drivers to refill their cars while on the go. Electrify Canada will also use the new names, and the two companies said they hope the new nomenclature will help establish a universal standard. If so, it’s apparently time to just memorize how these names work.
Balanced Chargers Will Come in Pairs
Or not. EA is also introducing new “Balanced” chargers to its network to help keep energy flowing. These new Balanced chargers will be installed in pairs, with each plug sharing a power cabinet. All Balanced chargers will be capable of 350-kW charging, but if two EVs plug in at the same time, they can provide each EV with up to 150 kW. But, if the neighboring stall is unused, then one of the Balanced charges can provide 350 kW.
There’s also an in-between level. So, for example, if someone plugs in a Kia Niro EV (max fast-charging speed: 85 kW) at a Balanced station and there’s already a higher-charging EV on the other stall, the software may be able to allocate the remaining power to this second EV.
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