January 17, 2025: US energy firm Ameren has commissioned a new EV fast-charging station powered by advanced lead batteries from GS Yuasa.

Battery Council International reported on January 8 that the smart-charge station and microgrid platform at Ameren’s St Louis campus will help power the firm’s fleet vehicles. 

Stationary batteries along with planned solar panels will provide critical energy storage support for a 1MWh microgrid.

Bill Moll, president of GS Yuasa Energy Solutions, said: “This innovative EV fast-charging facility by Ameren clearly illustrates the value proposition of advanced lead battery technology, and GS Yuasa is proud to support continued innovation in domestic energy infrastructure projects like this one.” 

By some estimates, the US will require 500,000 public charging points for EVs, with 100,000 fast chargers, which is almost 5x the footprint of current EV charging nationwide, according to BCI.

Roger Miksad, BCI president and executive director, said the real-world business case for advanced lead batteries proved the importance of end-users putting their applications first when selecting an energy storage solution. 

“It’s not practical or realistic to think that one kind of battery can rise to every energy storage challenge that the future holds. Instead, organizations focus on selecting the right battery for the right application.”

Miksad said it was inspiring to see such projects that are looking outside the box and finding new ways to effectively deploy advanced lead batteries in cost-effective ways.