Electric vehicle charging company Flo is jolting its research and development efforts with a $23.8 million commitment to bring a next-generation Level 2 charger and a new “ultra” fast-charging station to market.
The Quebec City-based company shared details about the projects in Montreal March 13, alongside provincial Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy Pierre Fitzgibbon, who pledged $6 million in provincial grant funding to support the development work.
Flo, which builds its chargers at manufacturing plants in Shawinigan, Que. and Auburn Hills, Mich., said designing the new chargers will create 25 new jobs in Quebec.
The company first announced plans for an updated DC fast charger in February. The new design is expected to charge most EVs to 80 per cent within 15 minutes. It will also come in different configurations to simplify installation and access for drivers. Flo plans to bring it to market in 2024.
Development work will run concurrently on the company’s latest generation of Level 2 charger. The design, aimed at public, commercial and residential charging settings, will be adaptable to different power levels up to 19 kW, the high end of the Level 2 range. The company has not released a launch timeline for the updated stations.
