Vital EV installs UK’s first 400kW liquid-cooled Kempower satellite chargers

Vital EV has commissioned the UK’s first liquid-cooled 400kW Kempower Satellite Chargers – believed to be the fastest charger in the UK – at the famous automotive testing facility in Bedfordshire.

The two 400kW chargers, along with two 260kW chargers, will be used to charge prototype and production vehicles.

UTAC Millbrook Proving Ground was opened in 1970 as the main testing facility for Vauxhall and Bedford brands. Now owned by French vehicle testing company UTAC, the famous facility continues play a major role in the development of vehicles as a performance testing centre for specialist and mainstream manufacturers from all over the world.

Over the past couple of years, Vital EV has been supporting the development of new electric vehicles at UTAC Millbrook with the 40kW Kempower Movable Charger, in addition to powering the test drive sessions at high-profile automotive events such as Company Car In Action and LCV Cenex.

When the requirement came for a high-powered, permanent charging solution, the management team of UTAC opted for Vital EV’s expertise in delivering complex and bespoke DC charging with their unrivalled aftersales support.

Chris Polmear, principal engineer at UTAC, explained: “Vital EV have enabled us to deliver class-leading temporary charging solutions for our largest automotive events and we have always been impressed by their engineering expertise and resolve, which is why – when the requirement for a permanent solution arose – Vital EV was the company that we could trust”.

“At 400kW, our new charging hub deploys the fastest charge in the UK and the whole process – right the way from the initial conversations to putting it into operation – has been seamless, and their engineering teams have kept us in close communication with all the updates”.

Each of the four Kempower Satellite Chargers is dynamically powered by the 500kW Power Unit, which helps make best-use of their grid supply. The two 400kW chargers are fitted with liquid-cooled cables which are rated to 500A and capable of 500kW short-term boost.

Alex Rae, director & general manager of Vital EV, said: “The completion of the UTAC project is just another example of our team’s expertise in delivering sophisticated EV charging projects and our ongoing commitment to achieving our customers’ charging goals. Vital EV is proud to be support UTAC in charging both production and next-generation prototype EVs, which require our tailored solutions and unrivalled aftersales support to meet their unique requirements, time and time again”. 

As part of the ‘Trust’ aftersales support, Vital EV’s Networks team will continuously monitor the status of the chargers via our Occulus charging management portal, and carry out planned and reactive maintenance – including over-the-air (OTA) updates – to maximise charger uptime.