Portable charger for electronic cars developed by Wicklow-based firm

A WICKLOW company has developed what it claims is the world’s first portable charger for electric vehicles.

The EVCharge 4kW can be brought to an electronic vehicle and provide it with enough charge in half an hour to travel up to 20km to the nearest public charge point or the motorist’s home.

JTM Power, which developed and manufactured the EVCharge at its base in Rathnew, Co Wicklow, plans to sell the units to roadside recovery services and organisations involved in the sale and service of electric vehicles.

ESB e-cars, the unit of the electricity supplier rolling out the charging infrastructure to support electric cars, has taken delivery of the first unit. ESB e-cars also provided technical advice in the development of the product.

AA Ireland will begin a pilot of EVCharge next month.

“There is an issue around the roadside recovery of electric vehicles,” said James Tracey, managing director of JTM Power. “It’s not very green to be sending out a diesel truck and towing it to a charging point.”

JTM Power has been manufacturing portable energy-generation products for over a decade and sells to customers in Britain, Belgium, South Africa, and Australia. Mr Tracey said he expected the EVCharge would primarily be an export product. The firm plans to release versions of it which will charge faster and give further range to the vehicle in 2012.

Mr Tracey welcomed the support of Wicklow Enterprise Board and ESB e-cars in developing the product. He said the relationship with the ESB was a good example of Enterprise Ireland’s model of “pre-commercial procurement” where small Irish firms are encouraged to work with public sector bodies and agencies in developing products. “We now have plans for developing an exciting range of mobile charging products with new jobs and exports on the horizon,” he said.