Chakratec enters North America with Blink Charging
Israel’s Chakratec that specialises in energy storage for ultra fast-charging stations is coming to North America. Chakratec is now collaborating with Blink Charging supported by a $900,000 grant from the Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development (BIRD) Energy Program.
Chakratec has developed energy storage technology for charging powered by kinetic batteries using a flywheel. Chakratec and Blink Charging plan to bring a robust DC fast charging solution to the United States that can be deployed practically anywhere, regardless of the location’s existing power grid capabilities. The technology also avoids increased high demand charges from utility companies.
Michael D. Farkas, Chairman and CEO of Blink Charging said: “The Chakratec technology has the unique capability of absorbing and storing peak loads in the power grid and utilising the kinetically stored energy to enable DC fast charging anytime, anywhere.” He went on to explain that the technology is entirely mechanical, which means does not require batteries. Chakratec uses unique “kinetic storage” technology, where floating flywheels are suspended in mid-air by magnetic levitation.
“When you put electricity in, the flywheel starts to rotate,” Chakratec CEO Ilan Ben-David told the news site ISRAEL21c. “Since magnets suspend the flywheel in a vacuum chamber, there’s almost no friction. So, the flywheel keeps spinning at the same speed.” This means that when a vehicle is ready to plug-in, the energy from the flywheel is converted back to electricity.
Perhaps not the most glamourous analogy, but practical to illustrate the mechanical principle, Ben-David describes the technology as being like the water in a toilet, that slowly fills the tank and discharges quickly as needed after which it immediately starts to refill.
Chakratec will be exhibiting at this year’s CES, at the Israeli Pavilion at the Eureka Park.
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