Alfresco EV Charging

Inspired by a new paradigm of outdoor dining brought by the pandemic, this project depicts an EV charger concept integrated into a traffic barrier. It provides a more accessible charging solution for crowd communities and a safer dining environment for restaurants and diners.

Will Alfresco Stay With Us?

Pandemic gave us Alfresco, open dining that flattens the curve, by changing car lanes into the alive and communal area. Not only for the statistics, however, people prefer eating outdoor also because it feels they are safe from respiratory infections and it gives them European scenery such as the Biergarten of Germany, the cafés of France.

According to the National Restaurants Association’s research in Sep 2021, 35% of restaurants that offer outdoor seating say it accounts for more than 40% of their average daily sales. Fifteen percent of operators say it represents more than 70% of their daily sales.

Many large cities, in fact, are planning to keep Alfresco as a permanent setup post-covid because of this shift in people’s behavior and because the coronavirus is likely to coexist with humanity for quite some time due to the emergence of variants.

Scenario 1 - Outdoor Dining

The product accommodates any design of the dining space. Key parts are swappable, so it can be a charger, a planter, and even an ad space. Charging cables and screens will be installed at end units facing the sidewalk. Again, it provides an additional charging point for the community and a safer dining space for both restaurants and diners.

Scenario 2 - Event Layout

Flee market, outdoor gallery, community festival, etc. A growing number of events ( including some events that used to be held indoors ) are now available in the open area. Each event will require a different setup that is unique to its purpose, and this product is equipped with good versatility since it is water-filled and has forklift access.

Despite a surge in EV sales in the US, there still are factors that slow down EV adoption. The biggest matter is the bad accessibility of charging. Cities need more charging stations, and they need to be widely distributed.

One of the core values of this concept is the ease of manufacture/deployment. A blow-mold centerpiece makes it low-cost, and most installation/modification requires no mechanical fastening, which boosts deploying.

The charger module is equipped with two level-2 charging ports ( US standard ) and one level-2 socket for vehicles with different types of charging ports ( BYOC )

An active cooling system and fasteners are concealed from the public for aesthetic and security. Additionally, there is a volcano-shaped step around the water inlet to make sure it doesn’t flood while filling.

The fastening rod can be replaced with a canopy mount so the product can embed off-the-shelf poles and canopy, which will make the dining space weather-resistant.