This 500kW DC charger is the size of two home AC chargers
Gravity Inc., best known for its fleet of Mustang Mach E electric taxis in New York City, has announced a brand-new ultra-high output DC charger designed especially for the challenging ergonomics of urban parking garages.
The 500kW “DEAP” (Distributed Energy Access Point) is just 8″ thick and 18″ tall (curiously, width isn’t mentioned, but eyeballing, it looks to be about three feet across) — which sounds too good to be true. But as you may have guessed already, Gravity has achieved this by separating the charge endpoint from the power box that actually supplies the necessary energy to charge your car. The dimensions of that power box aren’t disclosed (read: it’s still gonna be pretty big), but this could be a significant advancement for charging in locations where space for EV infrastructure is very limited.
The innovation Gravity is introducing here is that the power box and charge endpoint can be separated by up to 500 feet of its proprietary liquid-cooled cabling. In a parking garage, that could allow for all of the necessary charge infrastructure to be colocated in an existing cooled equipment closet, or even outside the building. While that may not sound revolutionary, it could make high-speed DC charging feasible in locations where it was previously impossible, or at least highly impractical.
The 500kW peak output exceeds that of the input of any EV currently on sale in the US, but according to an interview with Gravity’s CEO conducted by The Verge, the company wants its solution to be future-proof. The Verge‘s reporting also shows an image of the chargers already actively installed and in use by Gravity’s EV taxi fleet in New York. (The chargers themselves are UL listed, which adds further credibility to Gravity’s product.)
Gravity will be offering more compact charge endpoints capable of up to 200kW of output, and those units look to be closer to the size of the level 2 home AC chargers most people currently use in their garages.
The company further claims that its system will support up to 250kW when charging Tesla vehicles using a CCS adapter (there’s no information on when or if Gravity will convert to NACS, but that seems like an eventuality). At a systems level, Gravity says it can scale the DEAP to over 20MW of capacity at a single location.
Electrek’s Take
We’re in the early stages of public charging technology, and downsizing will be a huge factor in the continued innovation in this space. While Gravity’s solution doesn’t sidestep physics by any means, it’s a clever way to dramatically reduce the footprint of high-speed DC fast chargers in environments where there may not be room for them. New York City parking garages are notoriously tight, and it makes sense that a company building a taxi fleet in the city would be very interested in how to scale up fast charging within the confines of existing parking infrastructure.
By no means is Gravity’s work going to enable home DC fast charging, but I can imagine a future where apartment buildings on a single block share common DC charging power box infrastructure and use underground cables routed into garages, something that Gravity’s solution could theoretically provide. Scaling that to a single-family residential development would be a lot more challenging with that 500-foot limitation.
As for the 500kW output, it certainly would be nice to have chargers that will age well into future EV innovation.
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The BYD “Shenzhen” set sail on its first voyage overseas this week. With 9,200 parking spots, or about enough to fill 20 football fields, BYD’s new car transport ship is now the world’s largest.
BYD’s largest car carrier sets sail for Brazil
BYD’s Shenzhen is on its maiden voyage to Brazil after setting sail on April 27. The vessel is carrying over 7,000 new energy vehicles (NEVs), including electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). It’s the largest single batch of NEVs exported from China so far.
The new vessel is BYD’s fourth car transport ship and the world’s largest, capable of carrying 9,000 vehicles. According to the company, that’s enough to fill about 20 football fields.
BYD launched its first car carrier, the Explorer No 1, in January 2024. It has already completed several trips to Germany, Spain, and Brazil.
Its second, the BYD Changzhou, set sail in December 2024, followed by the Hefei earlier this year. All three vessels can carry up to 7,000 vehicles, making the Shenzhen the largest so far.
The Shenzhen is named after the automaker’s hometown and demonstrates “BYD’s firm determination to promote sustainable development in Brazil.”
BYD is preparing to launch two more vessels, the Changsha and Xi’an. The Changsha is expected to launch soon, while the Xi’an was introduced on April 2.
The new car carriers will help accelerate BYD’s aggressive overseas expansion. In the first three months of 2025, the company sold over 206,000 NEVs overseas, more than double the number it sold last year.
BYD sells a wide range of vehicles in Brazil, including the low-cost Dolphin Mini, starting at around $20,000 (99,800 BRL). In October, it launched its first hybrid pickup truck, the Shark, starting at 379,800 BTL ($66,900).
Brazil is only one overseas market that BYD is targeting. BYD’s sales are expected to double in Europe in 2025, with significant growth in other key regions like Southeast Asia, Japan, Mexico, and South Korea, to name a few.
Source: BYD
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‘Tesla homes’ in a Houston neighborhood where all the homes have Tesla solar roofs and Powerwalls went for sale.
7 out of the 11 homes have reportedly already sold.
Tesla neighborhood is a term that is being used for new developments where all the homes integrate all or part of Tesla’s power ecosystem, including the Powerwall home battery pack.
The best example is a giant new development project in Austin, Texas, by Brookfield Asset Management and Dacra in which up to 12,000 new homes are to be built and offering Tesla solar roofs and Powerwalls.
However, since the announcement, it looks like only some of the homes in the new neighborhood have Tesla energy systems.
In 2022, Tesla also announced a similar project in Las Vegas.
A year later, the company claimed to have deployed “over 600 solar neighborhoods” worldwide, with a total capacity exceeding 100 MW.
One such ‘Tesla neighborhood’ is a small block of 11 townhouse homes featuring Tesla solar roofs and Powerwalls in Houston, Texas.
The homes were recently completed and went on sale, starting at $544,900.
Here are some pictures from the listings:
Utopia Homes, the developer behind the project, described the properties (via Chron):
Step into modern elegance expertly crafted by Utopia Homes. This property showcases groundbreaking Tesla Solar Roof Shingles and Power Wall technology, ensuring 100% energy security and eliminating electric bills for a truly sustainable lifestyle.
The house has proved popular according to the real estate agents, with 7 out of 11 homes already sold.
As we recently reported, Tesla’s solar roofs have proven to be a more expensive and niche product than the company previously presented.
Tesla has largely stopped discussing it, but it is still being deployed through some third-party installers, such as in this case, on new homes.
However, its Powerwall product remains a very popular solution for homeowners seeking greater energy independence and protection against outages, which have been a frequent problem in Texas.
More homeowners are turning to generators, and alternatives like home battery packs are gaining popularity.
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Canadian electric propulsion specialist Vision Marine continues to graduate beyond advanced outboard motors into a provider of all-electric boats. This month, Vision introduced two new electric pontoon boats – the 12-passenger V24 and 15-passenger V30, each capable of a range up to 90 nautical miles.
Vision Marine Technologies ($VMAR) is a Canadian technology company with over 25 years of experience in the marine industry. The company made waves (literally) by introducing its E-Motion turnkey powertrain system, which it has since integrated into a catamaran speedboat, which set a speed record of 109 mph in 2022.
Since then, Vision has introduced six hp two-cruiser vessels – the Fantail 217 and Volt 180, each capable of transporting 10 passengers via its E-Motion technology. Most recently, Vision Marine has integrated the full power of its 180 hp electric powertrain technology into two additional vessels, both electric pontoon boats.
Earlier this month, the company officially began sales of the Vision V24 and V30, which you can view below.
Vision Marine brings power and range to electric pontoons
According to Vision Marine Technologies, orders for its two new electric pontoon boats are now open, and they are touting the same E-Motion technology that put the company on the map a few years ago.
The first model is the V24, a 12-passenger electric pontoon that is 24′ 8″ in length and has 180 hp. The ultra-quiet E-Motion powertrain is powered by a standard 43 kWh marine battery pack, offering 40 nautical miles (46 miles) of all-electric range on a single charge. For added range, Vision sells a version of the electric pontoon with a second battery pack, totaling 86 kWh and delivering up to 90 nautical miles (104 miles) of range.
While the V24 offers more of a classic attempt at the pontoon boat, Vision’s additional new vessel, the all-electric V30, is a tad sportier and provides room for more passengers aboard (15). This 30′ vessel features the same E-Motion powertrain options, complete with the same two battery configurations to offer the same ranges as the V24.
However, the V30 has additional features such as 4 x 6.5″ interior speakers and cool-touch seats. Both models feature an integrated onboard charger that supports both 120- 240V (30 to 50 amps) for seamless charging, no matter the dock plug while moored.
The Vision V24 starts at $99,995 for the standard battery pack version, while the V30 starts at a higher price of $139,995. As previously mentioned, both electric pontoon boats are available to order today.
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