What if you combined EV charging and heat pumps?
EVHACS has done exactly that with design support and Value Added Services from Hitaltech, and the product is set to make a big difference to the heat pump market.
If you’re the sort of person who likes to be at the forefront of carbon neutrality, you’ll probably already know about the benefits of EVs and heat pumps. But unless you’ve taken the plunge and invested in both, you may not have experienced some of the frustrating practicalities of living with them.
Practicalities like your consumer unit tripping at peak times when your car charging (plus your home’s regular energy requirements) overload the system.
Like having to turn off the shower and oven at peak times to make sure that your car is charged in time for the trip to the cinema that night. Like looking for solutions that will help your heat pump and EV charger work better together, so you buy a diverter, priority switch and home power management system. Going green shouldn’t cost this much!
If you’ve experienced any of the above, you’ll probably be wishing that Hitaltech’s new customer had come out sooner.
Introducing EVHACS Co. Kildare-based
EVHACS has created the world’s first heat pump (or air conditioner) and EV charger in one, with a power management system that enables users to prioritise heating and cooling or car charging.
“We had a conversation about a year ago,” says Hitaltech UK MD Andy Fitzer. “EVHACS were looking for a communication module that could manage communication between the EV charger and other power needs. They took some standard enclosures from us and it was at that point we started talking about some of the customisation we could do, machining a new input/output hole into the Thermo Enclosure, for example, or printing the logo directly onto the plastic. EVHACS also uses our connectors at its base (with the PCB assembly completed by Smart Electronics).” Dylan Byrne, EVHACS CMO, takes up the story: “We sent Hitaltech some rough drawings which they worked up. They produced a free sample which we validated, and we’ve just received the first box of Enclosures.”
Award-winning impact
EVHACS is already making an impact. It has attained a CE mark and SEAI Grant Approval. It won Best Renewable Product at Architecture + Building Expo in 2023 and Best Innovative Product at the 2024 SEAI Energy Show in Dublin. The product is drawing serious interest from major home construction companies, HVAC providers, energy consultancies and electronic engineers. Dylan notes the particular attention from HVAC and heat pump installation organisations. “Previously, they probably didn’t do (or consider doing) EV chargers. Now, they can.”
Hitaltech: design partner “This is another example of the value of bringing Hitaltech onboard as a design partner,” explains Andy. “We really like working with startups and love getting involved at the beginning because we recognise that from small acorns, big trees grow.” Dylan agrees. “It’s the nature of start-ups, isn’t it? You’re building the plane as you’re taking off. So you need to work with people who can start and react quickly. We also like having a supplier in the EU [thanks to Hitaltech’s Italian presence] and decoupling from longer supply chains.”
“Hitaltech are a really good partner to get involved with at the design stage, as their knowledge is so valuable in making the finished product as good as it can be. Even the little added value things – like the suggestion of adding branding (via custom printing) to the product and the bespoke development of the cover… these things aren’t rocket science but we didn’t even know they were possible and they were suggested at the right time. We got technical drawings with precise measurements we can use for our records too. And the turnaround times were phenomenal.”
To explore how Hitaltech can support your product development, talk to us. www.hitaltech.com.
