00:00Don't believe everything you read on social media.
00:04The EV revolution is still coming.
00:06I'm at Motor Trend's 2026 SUV of the year.
00:09And more than half the field, 24 of the 46 vehicles, are EVs.
00:15Driving all those vehicles for nine days on proving grounds and public roads requires lots of charging.
00:22And so we brought in this unit to help us.
00:24This is an electric fish 350 squared, and it can deliver up to 350 kilowatts to an EV.
00:32Yet it connects to the grid at a relatively low power 30 kilowatts.
00:38How's that possible?
00:39You can imagine this big box is filled with batteries, specifically 320 kilowatt hours worth.
00:45That battery acts as a buffer.
00:47As a vehicle is charging at high power, it depletes.
00:50And when a vehicle is disconnected, it steadily refills from the grid.
00:55You can imagine that battery also gives you other benefits.
00:58You can still charge EVs during a power outage.
01:01And if this unit was wired up to a convenience store, you could even power that store during an outage.
01:07There's other benefits as well.
01:09You can participate in peak shaving, which is the idea that you can reduce your electricity bill by reducing the amount of power you consume.
01:16And you can participate in demand response events, which is the idea that a utility will actually pay you to not use electricity at specific times.
01:26Now, you can imagine a unit with that big of a battery costs more than a conventional DC fast charger.
01:32And you're right.
01:33But a conventional DC fast charger often requires major utility upgrades that can cost $100,000 or $150,000.
01:40And so ultimately, installed this unit probably costs less than a high-powered DC fast charging station.
01:49That's because of the relatively low power hookup to the grid.
01:52You can do that with minimal trenching, permitting, and an installation process that might take months or even years for a conventional DC fast charger can be done in a matter of weeks.
02:04In fact, at Motor Trends, we're huge fans of procrastination.
02:08We contacted Electric Fish one week before we started SUV of the year.
02:12And seven days later, this unit showed up.
02:16It was forklifted off a truck, set on the ground, and wired up by an electrician in an hour.
02:22That is frankly amazing.
02:24So, the EV revolution is not over.
02:27Technology continues to advance, both for electric vehicles and the infrastructure that powers them.
02:35For more on Motor Trends' 2026 SUV of the Year, visit MotorTrend.com.
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