GoHub aims to make EV charging cheaper

Intended for quick deployment almost anywhere, ZipCharge want the GoHub to bridge the gap in today’s infrastructure to incentivise further EV adoption in the car buying public. It’s modular and can be had in multiple sizes, meaning it can be installed in short order almost anywhere including parking spots and on the street.

Both the single-sided and double-sided units, housing five and ten ZipCharge portable powerbanks respectively, will fit into a parking space. The GoHub is a power bank like any other, and as such is flexible in terms of use cases, with car charging only a headline use.

Also optional are micromobility charging docks for eBikes and eScooters, compatible with any manufacturer. There’s also the option to integrate rainwater harvesting systems, renewable energy systems with wind turbines and even a ‘living roof’. Users could also be able to charge their mobile devices and even connect to a Wi-Fi hot spot. The Go banks are ‘second-life’, giving a new use to batteries that have served out their use in other devices.

“We predict our portable powerbanks will outsell fixed home chargers by 2030, in the same way mobile phones overtook landlines,” said Jonathan Carrier, ZipCharge Co-founder.

“That’s because the Go can be used for more than EV charging, it’s a portable energy storage device for personal energy management. We have the bold ambition to deploy 100,000 GoHubs globally by 2030 to support EV charging, local grid resiliency and energy democracy.”

How you pay to access it is also very flexible. Users will be able to purchase outright for themselves for a more permanent installation, or pay via a subscription or even rent. Pricing is a flat £1 for every 4kWh charged and zero connection fees.

Are these or systems like them the stopgap the infrastructure needs, or a more promising long-term lower-investment solution?