Tritium opens first global DC fast charger factory in Tennessee, USA
Tritium’s new Tennessee facility. Image: Tritium.
Tritium ($DCFC) is an Australian success story. The DC fast charger manufacturer started in Brisbane, and quickly expanded to the point where the company decided to shift operations to the United States. The company has seen record growth in sales and revenue, earning between $50 and $60 million USD per quarter. In January this year, they even listed on the NASDAQ after a merger with special purpose acquisition company Decarbonization Plus Acquisition Corp.
Now, Tritium has opened its first US-based EV fast charger manufacturing facility in Lebanon, Tennessee. The facility will employ more than 500 Tennesseans over the next five years, helping to build EV charging infrastructure and meet US government goals for the electrification of transport. Once fully operational, the facility will host six production lines and produce up to 30,000 DC fast charger units per year.
Tritium’s Tennessee facility will initially produce the RTM fast charger, followed by the PKM150 early next year. Tritium’s PKM150 fast charger is expected to meet Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Buy America Act standards in Q1 2023, making that fast charger an ideal candidate for National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program funding.
The PKM150s are unique because customers can connect up to four fast chargers to one power cabinet, saving money on equipment, installation, and maintenance. The modular system allows upgradeability, with servicing and replacement taking just minutes. This flexibility gives customers the ability to choose between 100kW or 150kW of dual-cable charging station power depending on their business needs.
The Tritium PKM150. Image: Tritium
“The opening of our Tennessee factory is an important milestone for Tritium, for Tennessee and most importantly, for American drivers. As many as 35 million electric vehicles are expected to be in use by 2030 and those vehicles will require more powerful and convenient charging infrastructure,” said Tritium CEO Jane Hunter. “It’s crucial that America’s charging infrastructure is built right here in the US. Americans will rely on it to get to work, to school, to doctor’s appointments, and more. It needs to be reliable, and it needs to be able to grow to meet their needs. And when we make chargers here in the US, we reduce supply chain and shipping delays, and we help build the manufacturing ecosystem that will employ more Americans.”
The Tennessee facility was announced in February at a press event at the White House with President Biden, Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, Director of Made in America at the Office of Management and Budget Celeste Drake, among others. The Tritium manufacturing facility was highlighted as a key part of the Biden administration’s initiative to create clean energy jobs and reduce carbon emissions.
EV Brief’s take
It’s wonderful to see how far Tritium has come from its humble origins in Brisbane, Queensland. Tritium does have some problems to solve however; with strong sales growth and continued worldwide parts/logistics delays, the company has found delivering customer orders and spare parts to be a challenge. We hope these new units can improve on the reliability and uptime of current model DC fast chargers.
With the increasing EV demand and subsequent increased DC charger usage in Australia, EV drivers have found Tritium units to be offline, or broken for weeks or even months. We’ve also documented our own experiences with failed chargers. While charging networks such as Chargefox and Evie Networks have tried to placate customers’ concerns and complaints, they are often hamstrung by delays in spare parts or technicians able to repair the units. Combined with the increase in price for high-powered 350kW chargers from both providers to $0.60/kWh, it is understandable Australian consumers are sometimes angry.