Gravity Charging: I Check Out The Highest Powered DC Fast Chargers In the US

I visited the Gravity Charging Center in New York City a few weeks after it opened and interview the Founder and CEO, Moshe Cohen. The Gravity Charging Center features 24 500 kW DC fast chargers which are currently the highest-powered DC fast chargers deployed for public use in the US.
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Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:45 I arrive at the Gravity Charging Center in New York City
02:04 The interview with Gravity CEO, Moshe Cohen
05:32 Gravity's small footprint and cable management system
07:11 Gravity provides the adapters for Tesla vehicles
07:50 Why are there two slightly different units in the garage?
10:31 How does Gravity work without the need to upgrade the electric infrastructure?
14:41 Gravity plans to offer curbside DC fast charging
18:38 Will Gravity stations be reliable?
22:28 Will Gravity develop into a nationwide network?
23:54 Gravity pricing policy
28:46 I take a quick look at Gravity's curbside DC fast charging solution
29:50 I followed up with three questions after the interview
33:35 Outro
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[@A.Deveneaux]

I'm very impressed with Gravity's CEO and his approach towards public and DC fast charging. His out of the box thinking is what is needed and I know he will succeed.

[@thomaskerkhoff579]

Finally, a novel rethink of the infrastructure model. Sadly, many utilities and potential customers don't question tradition. Need more of these innovators.

[@nycplayboy78]

Agreed

[@fjalics]

This video is way more interesting than I thought it would be. Doing the most useful things in the smartest way. EVs are most efficient in cities, reduce pollution where the most human breathers are, and it sounds like he has thought of everything.

[@tommytfaa]

I thought the same thing. Very interesting.... CEO has some smarts

[@jriding6161]

This CEO is nothing short of brilliant. I'm so impressed.

[@derpydestinies]

I'm excited about Gravity and their plans in NYC. We truly need a company like this to push actual fast chargers in this city

[@krkope8277]

"So if you're into DC fast charging, keep watching..." TommyMo, this is why you have a relatively modest but dedicated following of electron heads.

[@AlanBarnes1013]

Who is Tommy mo. Was he a skier?

[@kelviskelvis7140]

Wow - A new player in the charging game. Awesome!

[@jaaklucas1329]

Need more people in electrical engineering like this guy. Engineer with imagination!

[@bc10822]

Great innovation and ideas! Moshe and Tom this is exactly what the country needs to initiate the infrastructure for EV's to ramp up!!!

[@mmanjin]

Very articulate, knowledgeable and forward thinking CEO. Gravity network is definitely a big step in the right direction and desperately needed.

[@deathchopvhs]

Impressive. Can't wait to see how Gravity innovates.

[@davidmenasco5743]

There's a lot of vagueness in some of the answers. But it does sound like it might be for real. If it turns out to be, that will be great. EV charging in the US is a space where there's a lot of room for innovation and expansion.

[@ShadLife]

I love it that you asked the hard questions and he seemed to have good answers. These are exciting times. This country has always been innovative and has tackled some of the toughest problems humanity has ever faced. It's all because of people willing to figure out unique ways of accomplishing things rather than being stuck in the same old traditional way of doing things.

[@hoffmantnt]

Moshe seems to know what he is talking about. I wish him success.

[@dartmore10]

Who’d thought Professor Snape would leave Hogwarts to teach at Columbia and lead an EV charging corporation.

[@Pottery4Life]

Almost like a TED talk. We need more first principle engineering to re-imagine our infrastructure.

[@snomofilms]

The tucked sweater. A bold move indeed.

[@Chris21709]

Really fascinating, and encouraging! I used to live in NYC, where often just finding any parking place within a half mile was challenging. Great to see such innovation and new thinking!

[@Stopsign002]

Awesome looking dispensers

[@thelake9596]

Great interview & follow up. Exciting times!!

[@99trampis]

What a great video and content! I love how this guy thinks. More along the lines of customer service and forward thinking. Hopefully we'll see Gravity in the San Francisco Bay Area in the future.

[@billthompson9482]

Hi Tom, I am glad to see high powered DC charging come to urban areas. But I am confused as to how gravity is sourcing load sharing. Is gravity using some sort of a battery system to make up for power deficits during peak load times? Clearly, at certain times of the day power is not only at a premium, but sometimes a deficit, particularly during summer months during high temperatures. I’m wondering whether you can shed some more light into what I thought was a glazed over explanation of load sharing.

[@Cyrribrae]

What we don't know is how much overhead they have in the building. For all we know, they simply haven't hit that moment yet where the load sharing solution can't keep up. He may also be hiding his answer somewhat because this is definitely a huge competitive advantage of you can install where other people can't. But eh. Yea. I don't know. Curious.

[@kens97sto171]

That was an amazing interview... The equipment looks fantastic.. great use of space, and a cable retraction system that actually easily works for any car. He was open and explained the idea and how they implemented this. Hope to see some of there chargers in my home town eventually..

[@stevevansak7324]

Fantastic reporting here! This gets me excited about the future of public charging. I hope Chicago will be one of their next locations.

[@ElectricCarAustralia]

👍 interesting outside the box thinking. Wish them well and thanks for the video Tom.

[@hwirtwirt4500]

Impressive! And the cable is long enough to service all vehicles.

[@pickelkilla]

Did you watch the video?

[@hwirtwirt4500]

@@pickelkilla Did you comprehend the video?

[@jackylsmith8138]

It only makes sense to make cables long enough to do that, unless you keep it short for only your vehicles.

[@nc3826]

It's ironic how trolls that always ask questions, never have any answers.... Are just short attention span, immature children that want attention...

[@suresh_elonbro]

Excellent interview

[@fredsmodel3n192]

Amazing video and shoutout to Gravity for a job well done and investing in the future, I will be using Gravity if I do see them on my road trips from San Diego to Key West Florida. Thanks.

[@AndrewMackoul]

I'm still a little confused about the load balancing system. It really seems like they're just being smart with the existing power available to a building. The video made it seem like it's all magic for "free" energy. I would like a bit more of an explanation there.

[@jeffs6090]

We would need Kyle to do a video here to get more nerded out on info like that. Tom is great in his own right, but he doesn't quite get to the level of technical details as Kyle does.

[@anthonyc8499]

Moshe seems like he's giving an elevator sales pitch instead of getting into the technical details of what we're all looking for.

[@nc3826]

When did Kyle start giving truth serum out, to individuals that he interviewed? The CEO at one point did say the technology is patent pending. So Moshe should either give the details or explain why he's not giving the details. Being evasive doesn't help anyone.

[@tedbellWRV]

Firstly, Moshe - Econ majors rule! Great discussion and much to learn in this area. I've followed this subject for a number of years, and I am still learning.

[@stevedodd295]

Very impressive video 😮

[@williamstachour4019]

Great video. It’s exciting to see ambitious people working on innovative solutions to problems which are only now (for many of us) coming into focus. NYC is its own deal, but the tech will have applications across the board.

[@oj9886]

This is what I have been waiting for

[@lances6466]

Gravity Charging...finally a company that will "hopefully" bring charging to the way it should be, units where we park instead of us going to the units. I could see these (maybe someday) along the interstates at rest areas. Now, wouldn't that be something! Too bad that's not allowed. This man seems like a very smart, down to earth, reasonable person and I hope they can deliver!

[@jamesp5301]

Very impressive with the details. Hope he is successful and makes this a sustainable busines

[@keithhere5868]

Mr.Cohn of Gravity seem like a man who know his stuff!...Hope he success.

[@breezewood64able]

Very informative. Excellent ideas. I drove a Ford E-transit commercial van ( 9 foot cab) in New York City for about three weeks last year. I was able to find charging, but this would be an advancement, certainly. Thanks, for the content Tom M. I'm going to check out your videos on the Ford Lightning--very much interested. I've followed you off and on since you leased the E-Mini. Again, great content!

[@frxrml3203]

I’m very excited to this. I have high hopes to see this everywhere in the country.

[@stephenrobertson2636]

Very interesting concept. And, I wanted to thank you as I purchased a ChargePoint Home Flex unit in February as a NACS unit and am very happy with it. I have leased a Mach E in late February after they lowered their price to complete with Tesla, so I purchased an adapter from Lectron.

[@dandaigle4546]

we need a lot more of these stations, ty

[@Yanquetino]

Clever design!

[@mrdsn189]

Thank you.

[@backdoormanintheend]

Exciting!

[@Joe-lb8qn]

Very interesting. Would be good to see this sort of innovation in the UK.

[@tomrybold]

Good Video Tom

[@canozturk5451]

Interesting times for DC charging. I can't wait for your content on V2H. I saw a Wallbox Quasar 2 at the NY Auto Show recently and I am now wondering how soon I would be replacing my good "old technology" level 2 charger in my garage.

[@ryanfagan4563]

This is exactly what we need

[@cliffm8846]

That guy hair is longer than the cable by Tesla Superchargers, 😂😅😊

[@FentoZ]

Ahaha😂

[@thewaygokid3135]

One of the best videos I’ve seen about large metro power distribution for EV’s. I hope they can get to scale profitability.

[@ArthurRondeau-me1sb]

I don’t yet own an electric vehicle but have investigated the cost of installing level 2 charging in my garage. This is a very interesting concept and I look forward to seeing more about the CEO and his company!

[@c0dych1ef]

Nice 👏

[@EELinneman]

This seems to be well-engineered and not just marketing, branding and hope like one of the big charging networks seems to have implemented. Good for everyone and I look forward to their continuing success.

[@dpsingh6421]

Tom, at 31:20 (during the Q&A portion), you talk about 100V, 500A units generating 500 kW. Did you mean to say 1000v, 500A units? Otherwise the math doesn't add up. Great video. Looking to hear more about Gravity. Will they be having any kind of reservation system for the underground charging stalls, or will be first come, first served?

[@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney]

Yeah, I meant to say 1,000-V

[@transmitterguy478]

Very informative! Thanks, Moshe. Talking about an assload of power though.

[@timclark6793]

Very impressive, let's see how well it works. Would be great to see a garage like that in Chicago.

[@raybell6h89]

PLEASE TAKE THIS TECHNOLOGY TO NEW ORLEANS!! NEEDED DESPERATELY.

[@canocano5480]

We need something like this inPalm Springs, CA

[@pennakira]

thank you Tom, let us know when they go public (IPO).

[@JP-sw5ho]

I love this

[@vancity2349]

This is super exciting and so innovative. Love to hear more. Tell him to come to Vancouver BC Canada, the Tesla capital of Canada lol

[@PeaceChanel]

Thank You everybody for All that you are doing for our Planet Earth.... Peace.. Shalom.. Salam.. Namaste

[@Reddylion]

Nice

[@peteglass3496]

An interesting point that slipped by was his opinion that low power DC [30kW+] could be used in longer dwell time situations where 7kW AC is just far too slow with the latest giant batteries [looking ahead to bi-directional too]. I think this is a blind spot between the slow home charging and ultra high power on-the-go charging being ignored by many.

[@ElitWolf01]

Amazing interview, I am new to the electrify world & I agree the reliability & convienence is always a concern.. I'm excited to see how Gravity does ... An idea they could try, is to find a way to put Lexar glass (shatter proof bullet resistant structure) around the curbside charger's & once a EV user authorizes the station or hub, have a numatic door open up with access to the retractable charge cable, and once the charge session ends, have auto retractor engage the cable to pull it back into the real & lock the hub until next session is authorized.. - side note - I hate we cant have nice things, someone somewhere will be jelious or vendictive & want/choose to damage infustructure that cost tons of money to producte .. If we had a better (possitive society) we could just trust people would always do the right thing.

[@brandonhaynes]

Sounds like a great company! I wish them all the best. Very similar name to another charging company though named GRAVITI.

[@edmondsmith4259]

Wow! Exciting if true, no smoke and mirrors, and has the legs to expand into the market! Kyle is gonna' loose his mind deep divin'!

[@nycplayboy78]

@thedukeofmanville This answered my question on your previous video. Very good video here....

[@murdelabop]

Considering that the average vehicle spends 96% of its time parked, the real necessary innovation isn't in fast charging, but in slow charging. If an electric vehicle is parked then it should be plugged in. Fast charging should be an option, not a necessity. L2 charging should be ubiquitous. Even L1 charging should be available wherever there is parking.

[@jeffcook9177]

Great Job Tom! Would your Lightning fit in that garage? I made the trip to NYC last year in a Lightning, this would be a great option for getting ready to head home.

[@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney]

Yeah, it would fit

[@someoneelse6934]

Interesting concept. A question: if these are sharing the loads, what happens when all the spots are full and drawing power at the same time?

[@Bella-nv2yp]

When they will open stations in Los Angeles ?

[@Alec15000]

That’s great! Only issue is if a BZ4X or a Lexus RZ plugs in, it charges at a max of around 80kw. You will be stuck waiting for about an hour for it to fully charge 🤪. These should be only allowed for cars with a max charge rate of at least 170kw

[@thecatwhodraws8901]

Wow - one of your best interviews. I hope moshe’s plan for street parking works . Right now I’m concerned that he looks too much like the WeWork founder😂. Does a lightning fit at gravity ?

[@kefprasit1157]

Not on topic but a review of the DCC9 energy management system would be cool. Allowed our building to get a level 2 charger for every parking spot without upgrading capacity

[@thetechq]

This is much closer to reality. Charging an EV should take about as long as filling an ICE car. Recently I drove 400 miles without stopping in my ICE vehicle. I could have gone another 200, but 400 was the length of the trip. EV range should be similar. One thing that the charging industry needs to improve upon is the scarcity mindset. Make the charging unit cheap so that 30-80% of parking spaces have chargers. Maybe they can’t all charge at full speed, but if half of them have ICE vehicles that won’t matter. Also, they should offer 125/250 volt AC at EV chargers. I carry a large battery for accessories. Power is already there. They might as well make money off the people who have accessory power or live in RVs since the infrastructure is already there to support it.

[@murdelabop]

With respect to his comments on older, slower charging vehicles, as a Bolt owner, I extend to him a single finger salute.

[@richdaley9982]

Man…smart guys. This is really interesting. Urban charging is probably the biggest barrier to EV adoption overall. Nice to see a new approach.

[@kengarrett2211]

interesting approach of the ev charging problem. make it easy and simple to use and reliable then its a winner

[@barryw9473]

Tom, aren't there cable vendors that can deliver ~300 Amps continuously with air cooling?

[@user-uv2kd7pt4u]

Very interesting but could not locate the APP in the Apple Store. I finally googled the name and found it online and had to send the link to my phone and was able to download it. I loaded but it does not allow me to create an account you have to ask for an invitation code but I assumed when you said you happen to be in NYC and decided to visit I thought it was open up the public? I planned to visit the facility but alas no access yet only to a small group it appears. I thought it odd no one was trying to park while you were talking and that is strange for NYC. Thanks for the info looking forward to this concept to come to the public.

[@Cinnjerm24]

This is exciting. They desperately need more public "fast" charging here in Los Angeles.

[@JackRussell021]

Where are they, and how is payment/authorization handled?

[@fatboy19831]

This guy is brilliant and practical with excellent communication skills. Almost impossible to find in the engineering field. He is just getting started. A better supercharger.

[@cjmahoney]

Tom, does the Ford Lightning fit?? (I live in Manhattan and own a Lightning)

[@sirgardensalot]

Next Level thinking in regards how to utilize the space for EV charging I'm wondering how long it takes to get one of those places up and running, on average, an electric vehicle (EV) can travel between 110 and 300 miles on a single charge. The average range is 211 miles, So they could do New York to Albany, New York to Wilmington Delaware, Wilmington Delaware to Washington DC and so on maybe they include an extra area to the network which is on the outside of a major city so it's easy access

[@jimbojones3400]

How long did it take to charge your Rivian.

[@ipedeckingremodel9884]

Tesla ought to hire this guy!

[@garyclark6747]

There’s a lot to cover and like you I have questions that I’d like to follow up with: How much did you pay and was the rate per kilowatt hour as published in the video? Was there a disclaimer of idle fees and how much per hour is it currently? He stated clearly that this business model must work so we know, regardless of how he is attracting people to try the service to prove their system, that fees may have to undoubtedly increase. 36:08 Nice interview.

[@BTSloan70]

Any news on when GM will be able to charge at Tesla Charging Stations.

[@akc5247]

So the load balancing is based on the load from an entire city block? Would be curious how their logic works for, say, financial center vs upper east side vs the co ops in the Bronx. Very interesting concept, but his explanation was not all detailed. Granted he may not have had enough time, so we would appreciate follow ups. Thank you Tom.

[@nc3826]

The CEO should either give more details or state that it's based on guarded patent pending proprietary IP. Instead of being so evasive, in terms of the details. IMHO... But at least the cable management system was interesting to see.

[@DanBurgaud]

1:20 220ish kwh.... if you have a 100kwh battery, it will take ~30 minutes to full charge from 0 to 100... or ~15 minutes from 25% to 75%

[@bigfan007]

A great piece and I look forward to more in the future. The power-pooling idea is still fuzzy to me. Is this something that ConEd has bought into? My grid-connected solar PV system needs to be approved by the local utility, so it would seem that same would apply to Gravity Charging to implement their power-pooling.

[@nc3826]

Any connection that feeds electricity back to the grid has to be approved by the utility.... For the safety of utility workers... I don't believe Gravity at this time is feeding electricity back to the grid?

[@bigfan007]

@nc3826 Maybe they are not, but I believe he used the word "power sharing" on the block, hence my confusion.

[@nc3826]

@@bigfan007 "power sharing" is their only source of power. From the existing building infrastructure, adjacent to them..... Which is totally different from sending power back to the grid.... Which is what I was referencing... sorry my writing skill is limited, but I hope that somewhat addressed your confusion...

[@nc3826]

@@bigfan007 And to clarify 'power sharing' alone doesn't have that safety issue...

[@paulstubbs7678]

A totally different world, I'm in the charge at home thought process mostly, however if your home is a high rise then things are very different.

[@jashshukla701]

Given there are 24 of these 500kW chargers, how many kW would it pull especially when the chargers are at 50-60% capacity?

[@skyemalcolm]

One point where he misspoke: My 2018 Model 3 charges at ~750 amp briefly thus pulling 255 kW. Teslas are not limited to 500 amps now except where the chargers limit current.

[@EVandMe]

I don't understand why it would be in a garage? If you're parking in a garage you're most likely going to be there for a while, why would you want super fast charging there? (Besides the taxis I guess)

[@DeRhamme]

we need this in Hawaii.

[@Dqtube]

I wonder what they do with the excess heat. Did they show you the part where they circulate and cool the mineral oil or glycol ? Are they blowing it into the air or trying to utilize the heat ?

[@nc3826]

In case you haven't seen it yet?. Check out "How India Has Cracked Rapid Charging with Arun Vinayak | The Fully Charged Podcast"

[@Dqtube]

@@nc3826 I am particularly interested in the solution of this installation, due to the fact that they have only limited space available.

[@nc3826]

@@Dqtube Actually it's more of an issue when they're exposed to ambient temperatures... And the CEO already touched base on the issue anyway.... Lastly they can install the equivalent of a, Whole House Fan.... It does wonders for my house... For example, Just run it at night during the summer time, and use the thermal mass of the concrete walls... Good luck with your TM fixation....

[@mchuo7834]

Hey Tom, can you do a video talking about the Toyota BZ4X and the mass popularity among NYC car service drivers? Every time in the city, tons of BZ4X rolling around even though it’s not that popular of an EV. I suspect it’s due to the reliability of their previous Toyotas makes them go Toyota again. They can handle the everyday abuse and use. Plus city driving, range isn’t as big of concern.

[@davidroddini1512]

Commenting to boost visibility of the comment. I also would love to see a video on the BZ4X popularity issue.

[@anthonyc8499]

Based on the fact that Moshe mentioned Toyota hybrids, the taxi companies must have a corporate fleet account and the BZ4X is the only EV available.

[@petebremy49]

The best news in this interview is that Tom has confirmed the rumor that Jim Morrison is still alive!

[@kendavis1198]

Bout time. This fella must be Elon's Off Spring from somewhere.. Nice Job.