‘trees’ that can fully charge any electric vehicle in 5 to 13 minutes begin to grow in the US

Gravity unveils DEAP Trees to charge any electric vehicle

Gravity, an infrastructure startup for electric vehicles, has released DEAP Trees, a series of chargers with mounting and cable systems planted on the streets and curbsides so EV owners can fully charge their vehicles in 5 to 13 minutes while they’re on the road. They developed these for their 200kW and 500kW Distributed Energy Access Points, or DEAPs, which they have already unveiled to the public in March 2024.

Now, the startup takes their chargers further by implementing their curbside installations. Gravity is attempting to grow a network of on-street DEAP Trees charging, more expansive than Tesla’s current Supercharger network, as the startup aims to become ‘the largest fast-charging network in the US.’

images © Gravity Inc. and Rangr Studio Architecture

Street and curbside electric vehicle chargers, like lamp posts

For the DEAP Trees’ design, Gravity collaborated with design firm Rangr Studio. They gave them a hinged swing arm holding a cable that bows down towards the electric vehicle when the charging begins, similar to the take-out-and-fold mechanism of a Swiss Army knife. This can allow the cord to be extended and reach the port of the electric vehicle, ‘regardless of the model,’ the design team states.

When charging is completed, the foldable hinged arm of the DEAP Tree raises back automatically and the electric vehicle connector latches back onto the pole, out of sight from passersby. All of these take place on the streets or curbsides, needing no additional infrastructure for the EV fast-charging network.

Gravity unveils DEAP Trees, a series of chargers with mounting and cable systems planted on the streets

No long cables to avoid tripping hazards

Gravity’s engineers and Rangr Studio say that their electric vehicle chargers on the street have no long cables since they retract back to their position to their lamp-post-like bodies and don’t require the drivers to bring their own cables. This design can avoid tripping hazards, obstacles to accessibility and potential vandalism.

Each universal DEAP tree may not need utility upgrades, as Gravity shares. Once these electric vehicle chargers are installed on the streets or curbsides, they can provide 200 miles of range in either 13 minutes (200kW) or 5 minutes (500kW) to the cars and can accommodate several vehicles at once given their slim, tall, and minimal design.

the arm holding a cable that bows down towards the electric vehicle

Given the sleek design of the DEAP Trees, Gravity and Rangr Studio may consider adding smart city technologies to their electric vehicle chargers on the streets in the future, including traffic cameras, colored LED street and curbside lighting, 5G, public WiFi, air quality sensors, and even integrated audio and video for public communication.

As of publishing the story, Gravity has already opened its flagship Midtown Manhattan EV charging center to the public. With the entrance of the DEAP Trees, the startup says it can offer magnitude faster than the 8 to 10 hours required for Level 2 curbside chargers, similar to those currently deployed in cities like New York through early pilot programs, and several times the capacity of Tesla’s common 72kW or 150kW Superchargers.

Gravity says that their electric vehicle chargers on the street have no long cables