Since its launch in 2017, Austin, Texas-based Yotta Energy, a renewable energy firm, has made considerable progress in the solar sector. The Yotta REV, its most recent product, was introduced in September 2022 with the intention of offering off-grid charging for electric automobiles across the United States. The REV is a portable EV charger that runs only on solar power. These grid-independent, fast-deployable chargers may be set up in 48 hours utilizing bifacial solar panels. The REV is appropriate for deployment abroad in areas that frequently experience widespread power outages because it is created for year-round use in all weather conditions and can be delivered in a regular shipping container.
Slant, Core, and Core XL are the three variations of the Yotta REV. While REV Core has a 15 kW "butterfly" design solar array and 50 kWh of battery storage (up to 200 kWh), REV Slant has a 7.2 kW solar array and starts with a 25 kWh battery. Core XL offers a 34 kW butterfly solar array and 100 kWh of battery storage (up to 600 kWh), whereas Core can charge more than 240 miles per day. It has four 48A chargers, as opposed to Core's two, and can give more than 560 miles of charge per day.
One REV Core unit, utilized for EV charging in downtown Austin, has already been installed in a number of places across the US. This same unit ran multiple food trucks for the South by Southwest festival in March 2023. Furthermore, a number of other REVs are simultaneously used as EV charging stations and as power sources for off-grid standalone structures like greenhouses and recording studios. REV Core has many uses despite being originally intended as an off-grid EV charging station. It is the best option for towns and emergency services because it may be used as a power producing facility during natural catastrophes or grid disruptions. Potential users include remote groups like researchers, miners, construction workers, and wildland firefighters.
The National Park Service is one of the institutions that would be particularly interested in the REV Core. The demand for electric vehicle chargers in rural locations will only rise as more people electrify their automobiles. More people will visit parks if they have a dependable and sturdy charging station, especially if the parks are big and provide remote campsites. Major US cities have also indicated interest in the REV Core as a means of getting ready for the rise of electric vehicles. There are instances where a REV Core station is more suitable, even if many municipalities electrifying their fleets are only connecting to the power grid. For instance, if the bus lot or station is located far from a power grid, extensive trenching work will be necessary, and the costs of trenching, electrical work, and power bills might add up quickly. The REV Core offers a fantastic substitute in this situation.
The idea for the REV originated from the requirement to charge electric vehicles off the grid, according to Anton Miasoiedov, the REV business development and sales lead at Yotta Energy. "Visiting National Parks and rural locations with an EV is now all but impossible. We are doing a lot of effort to overcome this obstacle. There will be a need for more than simply an EV charging corridor along major routes as America continues its shift to electric vehicles. The REV Core's butterfly structure might have the answer we're looking for.