Zooz Power deploys first ultra-fast power booster for electric vehicles in Israel
Flywheel-based system that charges electric vehicles in 15 minutes to help facilitate the nationwide use of EVs
Sharon Wrobel is a tech reporter for The Times of Israel.
Zooz Power, an Israel-based developer of an ultra-fast power booster for electric vehicles (EVs), has rolled out its first charging system units in the country.
Israel’s first Zooz power booster unit for EVs, which the company says can fully recharge batteries within 15 minutes, was installed on Monday at a Dor Alon gas station at a shopping center on Route 4 near the northern coastal town of Zichron Yaacov. The rollout of the two fast EV power systems was launched in cooperation with Afcon Electric Transportation and with support of the Energy Ministry and the Israel Innovation Authority.
Zooz has already its Zooster-100 units installed at five commercial and leisure locations in parts of Germany and Austria, as well as at a pilot project in New York.
The startup’s kinetic power booster (KPB), based on patented flywheel technology, converts electrical energy into kinetic energy and is designed for areas where EV infrastructure is still behind or where the electricity grid is not yet sufficiently powerful to give a quick boost. The boosters are modular, take up about half a parking space, and can be installed in key areas such as parking lots, airports, and hotels.
By using physics rather than chemistry, the kinetic recharger avoids environmental issues and costs such as massive water use and pollution associated with lithium extraction. Lithium, a mineral, is used for lithium-ion batteries, the most common storage vessel today.
Zooz’s CEO Boaz Weizer said that the rollout of the venture together with Dor Alon and Afcon seeks to help build the infrastructure needed to encourage the use of EVs in Israel.
“Despite an upward trend, Israel lags behind European countries, and we estimate that in order to catch up, the number of ultra-fast charging stations needs to grow within a few years to about 10 times their number today,” said Weizer. “The joint venture is expected to show that it is possible to significantly accelerate the transition to electric vehicles driving on Israeli roads without restriction, as drivers get access to a wide deployment of ultra-fast, reliable and stable public charging infrastructure, which is green and environmental, and makes it possible to charge the vehicle’s battery in just a few minutes.”
In Israel there are currently 40,000 EVs, but only about 100 fast and 150-kilowatt ultra-fast recharging points installed across the country, said Zooz, citing data from the Knesset Research and Information Center. By 2025, more than 200,000 EVs are expected on Israeli roads, as the government set an aggressive goal that by 2030 the only cars to be sold will be EVs.
To meet the growth rate target of EV distribution set by the Energy Ministry, more than 1,000 fast recharging points will need to be deployed in Israel by 2025, according to Zooz.
Dor Alon chairman Israel Yaniv noted that the Israeli-developed tech solution will make fast charging accessible anywhere in the country.
“The future of the electric vehicle world is conditioned, among other things, on the nationwide deployment of ultra-fast charging stations,” said Yaniv.
In December, Zooz Power signed a five-year distribution agreement with Nasdaq-listed Blink Charging, a US operator of EV charging equipment, to help further establish its footprint in the American market. As part of the deal, Blink Charging will serve as Zooz’s distributor for the sale and deployment of its fast EV power system.
Earlier last year, Zooz teamed up with an unnamed global car rental services giant to jointly operate a pilot for EV ultra-fast charging infrastructure at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport. In September, the Lod-based company won a New York-Israel Smart Energy Innovation Challenge worth $1 million. The award means that the state can partner with Zooz to advance New York’s clean energy goals.
