TUAL and Scottish Water sign off-grid rapid charger deal after trial success

Powerbank specialist TUAL has successfully completed trials of a new off-grid rapid charger that could bring fast EV charging to the most remote areas.

The Glasgow-based charging solution company partnered with Scottish Water to test its DC PowerUp Charger at the Moffat Water Works site, where charging has previously been almost impossible.

The remote site in southern Scotland has very limited mains power supply only capable of supporting standard 16A three-pin plugs, leaving visiting staff unable to charge an EV.

Since April, however, the site has housed the DC PowerUp Charger, which uses an integrated lithium-ion battery pack and DC rapid charger to deliver meaningful charger power and speed for engineers visiting the site.

The unit, which took just 34 minutes to install, can deliver up to 70kW, allowing engineers visiting the site to add 200 miles of charge to their vehicle in an hour. Previously, the mains supply was capable of delivering just eight miles of range in the same time.

Since the success of the trial, Scottish Water has placed an order for several more units to be installed at its remote locations.

Scottish Water plans to shift its entire vehicle fleet to electric in the coming years and TUAL says the successful trial paves the way for EVs to be more widely used in utility roles, where fast and reliable on-site charging is vital in ensuring they can keep up with their tasks.

Phil Clarke, TUAL founder and CEO, said: “We’re delighted that Scottish Water selected us for this field trial, and that the engineers visiting the Moffat site could always rely on our PowerUp technology to charge their EVs, enabling them to continue carrying out their mission-critical work.

“Grid constraints must not be allowed to stand in the way of fleet electrification. We’re proud to be playing our part in ensuring that any organisation that wants to make the switch can do so knowing that charging will not be an issue for them.”

Paul Wilkinson, EV transition technical specialist at Scottish Water, added: “The field trial at the Moffat Waste Water Treatment Works was a great success. The quick installation time, fast charging capability, and absolute reliability transformed the use of EVs at the site, and convinced us to place an order for PowerUp chargers that we’ll roll out across our other remote sites.

“We’re transitioning our whole fleet to zero-emissions vehicles as part of our strategy to achieve net-zero by 2040, and TUAL’s technology is helping us do that by overcoming limitations in the existing charging infrastructure.”