Kwetta Accelerates Charging for Electric Vehicles

New Zealand-based Kwetta enhances the capacity and efficiency of existing electrical infrastructure to support public high-power electric vehicle (EV) charging hubs. Traditional EV charging hardware connects at the low voltage side of a power grid, similar to a traditional home or business, so it competes for capacity with all other users. The local capacity of a low-voltage grid is quickly exceeded when multiple high-power chargers are connected. The traditional solution involves upgrading a local low-voltage network to add capacity, typically a laborious process involving multiple vendors and the utility company. 

When Kwetta (formerly Red Phase Technologies Ltd.) was established in 2021, it joined the 3DEXPERIENCE® Entrepreneurs Program to leverage both SOLIDWORKS® and 3DEXPERIENCE Works. Mechanical Design Lead Andrew Hall recalls, “I was initially quite skeptical of a cloud-based solution, even though I liked SOLIDWORKS.” He adds, “The license management is really straightforward, and I have access to all of the SOLIDWORKS tools with which I’m familiar. Plus, [the cloud-based 3DEXPERIENCE platform provides] transparent data management in the cloud.” 

3DEXPERIENCE Works solutions enabled Kwetta to speed development of its product. Hall notes, “We are very comfortable with 3DEXPERIENCE Works tools because they acted predictably and enabled us to efficiently design a product with more than 1,300 unique parts and assemblies in 10 weeks with a single designer.” He continues, “SOLIDWORKS software is used by many of our manufacturing partners. We believe 3DEXPERIENCE Works solutions would eliminate interoperability problems with partners because they are completely compatible with SOLIDWORKS.”

The simulation tools allowed Kwetta to iterate quickly during the design stage to optimize cost and manufacturability. In addition, using the linear static stress simulation tools saved Kwetta time and money by reducing the testing required while simultaneously ensuring the structural integrity of its charger.

Passing safety and compliance testing and transporting the Prime Grid Gateway to the site was essential to bringing the product to market. “The simulations gave us confidence that our design was safe from the beginning, and when the design was reviewed by certifying engineers, no modifications were required,” Hall points out. “This saved a lot of time and money because we were able to eliminate costly iterations.

Another factor in Kwetta’s selection of 3DEXPERIENCE Works solutions is its transparent, cost-effective cloud-based data management. “With the cloud-based 3DEXPERIENCE platform, not only can users securely access data and tools from anywhere and on any device, but they can also rest assured that the design data they are working on is being managed,” Hall stresses.

“3DEXPERIENCE Works version and revision management is very robust,” Hall says. “There’s no need to buy a server, set up a virtual private network (VPN), or spend resources on administration because it’s all taken care of in the cloud.”