FLO is making clumsy DC fast charger cables a thing of the past

Say goodbye to wrestling with awkward, heavy charging cables – meet FLO’s new DC fast-charging cable management system.

How FLO’s new charger cables work

EV charging network operator FLO‘s system is called EZLift. It uses a patent-pending motorized system to assist with fast-charging cable extension and retraction.

Fast-charging cables can weigh more than 25 pounds, making them difficult and clumsy to maneuver. The EZLift system makes fast-charging cables much easier to handle.

Nathan Yang, FLO’s chief product officer, explained, “This system enables users from a wider range of ages, strengths, and sizes to manage heavy fast charging cables more easily.”

The EZLift system, housed in the DC fast charger’s sealed canopies (above), automates cable extension and retraction, significantly reducing the force you need to exert to pull the cable to your EV to begin charging.

While charging, EZLift locks into place, reducing stress on the car’s charging port and preventing any damaging contact with the vehicle.

Once you’ve finished charging and you disconnect, smart sensors automatically retract and return the cable to the charging station. This prevents the charging cable from lying on the ground, becoming a trip hazard – who hasn’t tripped on the charging cable? – or being run over by other cars.

The EZLift system will debut on FLO’s new 320 kW fast charger, the FLO Ultra, which is being deployed this spring.

Electrek’s Take

I sometimes feel like I’m doing a battling rope exercise at the gym when I drag the charging cable to and from my car.

Not everyone has the physical ability to fight with charging cables – frankly, they’re just not all that accessible. So, this was definitely a problem that needed to be rectified.

FLO’s EZLift system isn’t super complex – it almost makes you wonder why more EV charging station companies haven’t employed this solution yet.

Filling up a gas car doesn’t feel as unwieldy, and EV charging needs to be as seamless as possible to get more bottoms in the EV driver’s seat.

Check out the EZLift in the testing lab below:

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