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Mike Anderson, director of manufacturing, EV Chargers, Efacec USA, Inc.
Norcross manufacturer Efacec USA, Inc. builds fast chargers for electric vehicles that yield a plug-and-go time frame of 30 minutes. Its patented AC/DC power conversion technology eclipses the day-long power boost home-based plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) chargers require.
Efacec USA, Inc. is on the fast track introducing its PEV technology to U.S. markets at a blistering pace. In the past six months, this electric vehicle charger manufacturer and Smart Grid solutions provider has ramped up production of its PEV Level 3 QC50 DC Fast Chargers (QC50) at the company’s Norcross facility. This marks the first time these units have been built in the U.S.
The company is currently delivering QC50s to 350Green, LLC, an electric vehicle charging networks developer. In August, 350Green placed an order for 900 units, representing a three-year manufacturing contract. Group Efacec, the parent company of Efacec USA, has been marketing its EV fast chargers for years in Europe. From a production and cost efficiency standpoint, the company decided to produce the units for this order in Georgia versus importing from its Maia, Portugal factory.
By November, Efacec USA had reached a significant manufacturing milestone for the QC50. The equipment is now ETL certified as Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment for both public and commercial use. Efacec USA is one of only a few U.S. electric vehicle charger manufacturers to achieve this certification from Intertek, a leading provider of quality and safety solutions for a wide range of industries around the world. The QC50 is also CHAdeMO and CE certified.
Some 90 days later, approximately 30 units per month are rolling off the company’s Norcross assembly line, requiring up to 40 man hours per unit to manufacture. Each QC50 has two parts: the user-friendly PEV charging kiosk and a standalone power panel. According to Mike Anderson, director of manufacturing for Efacec USA’s EV Chargers, build out of the 15,000 s.f. facility to accommodate production was seamless.
“Our team is doing a fantastic job and we are all thrilled with the aesthetic engineering of the QC50,” says Anderson. “The greatest challenge has been locating domestic suppliers for U.S.-made components that meet the ETL certification requirements.”
The QC50 DC Fast Chargers support PEV charging station networks in major U.S. cities and around the world. For example, 350Green partners with retail hosts at selected, high-traffic shopping centers and other locations to create an expansive and convenient charging infrastructure. PEV drivers pull up and plug in their Nissan Leaf, or other CHAdeMO charging standard compliant electric vehicle, to receive a full battery charge in the time it takes to shop or conduct a business transaction.
Recent predictions for the electric vehicle industry cite that by 2017 more than 5 million PEVs will be sold worldwide and over 7 million EV supply equipment sales will support those vehicles. Related predictions anticipate there will be over 500,000 PEVs operating in the U.S. by 2015, with the U.S. becoming the largest market for PEV sales by 2017.
The commercial market for Efacec USA’s fast chargers is utility companies. Efacec enjoys a solid reputation for high quality, advanced technology and integrated Smart Grid solutions. This alliance blends advanced charging station technology, grid optimization and the application of distributed energy resources to actually improve grid performance.
Portugal-based Group Efacec has been serving U.S. markets since 1998 and chose Norcross for its U.S. operations headquarters in 2007. Its U.S. operations cover five different activities via its Georgia companies; Efacec USA, Inc. and Efacec-Advanced Control Systems in Norcross and Efacec Power Transformers, Inc. in Rincon.
