Owners of electric vehicles (EVs) require an EV charger in order to recharge their cars. Portable and hardwired options are both available; portable ones are more portable.
EVSEs convert grid-supplied AC power to DC output that bypasses your car’s onboard charger. Depending on which unit is selected, advanced features like scheduling and energy use analytics may be offered as well.
Portable
When traveling long distances in an electric vehicle (EV), it’s essential that you ensure you have sufficient energy. Portable chargers provide one way of doing just this – these portable units come in various price points to meet every budget and can also serve as backup charging solutions when traditional charging stations are unavailable or broken.
Most portable EV chargers work by converting AC output to DC output – similar to how smartphones recharge; then plugging the charger directly into an EV and starting charging. There are various wattage levels available so it is important to first determine your maximum current requirement before selecting an appropriate charger.
Location and convenience should also be taken into account when choosing your charger. Some can fit easily into the trunk or frunk of your car while others are designed for mounting onto walls, pedestals or towers – you’ll find these chargers at public, commercial fleet and hotel charging locations.
SparkCharge offers services similar to UberEats and DoorDash that deliver portable battery chargers right to your home or workplace with its subscription-based app called Currently. This new service makes powering up portable electronics easy!
Make sure that you have enough charge by planning your route in advance and looking for electric vehicle charging stations along your planned journey. Sites like Zap-Map provide a handy service that shows where these stations are available and allows you to make the most of your journey without running out of charge on the side of the road.
Many EV chargers now include monitors to keep an eye on how you use energy, making this feature especially helpful if you’re trying to conserve power or reduce your electricity bill. These monitors will alert you when specific energy thresholds have been reached and provide details about exactly how much was consumed charging your car.
Wall-Hung
If you drive a plug-in electric vehicle, installing an EV charger at home in either your garage or carport is highly recommended. These EV charging stations convert Alternating Current electricity from your main electrical panel into Direct Current power for charging your battery pack directly – known as Level 2 charging due to higher amperage requirements but provides you with peace of mind in knowing an available charge always awaits at home.
Hardwired EV chargers will have a NEMA 6-50 plug similar to that found on an extension cord. As it plugs directly into a 240v circuit breaker, installation requires licensed electrician services; costs will depend on complexity and location – for instance if an exterior-mounted fuse box already provides access to this voltage source and an electrician only needs to run wire from there 20 feet to where you wish to place the EV charger then installation could cost as little as a few hundred dollars.
Many EV chargers can be mounted directly to walls, while others feature pedestals that sit underground. Installing on walls typically costs less as keeping wires indoors is safer and better protected from elements, and moving a wall-mounted charger from one property to another is far simpler than digging up and repaving a section of pavement near its charging site.
Some EV chargers feature smart features that enable you to manage and monitor the charging process from your smartphone, providing more convenient ownership experience as well as taking advantage of time-of-day electricity rates from utility providers. Some models even come equipped with LED displays that display status updates so you know when it is time for charging or take a break.
Pedestal
As electric vehicle (EV) ownership increases, businesses are turning their focus toward installing charging stations for customers or employees of electric vehicle (EV). Charging stations, known as EV chargers, provide power to charge EV batteries; they may be portable or wall-mounted and connected either through standard 120V household plug (Level 1) or directly wired into commercial outlets 240V AC (Level 2).
EV charging pedestals are an ideal solution for parking garages, car dealerships, rental agencies, city and township municipalities, office buildings and hospitals with multiple stalls. Their two-sided approach enables vehicles to come from both directions with each pedestal holding up to two charging ports for maximum flexibility.
Pedestals come with both networked and non-networked options to meet your EV charging station’s individual automation needs and access requirements, or whether or not it will be publicly accessible. Non-networked chargers can be used by anyone with an compatible EV while networked chargers require a unique user account with the vendor who manages it as well as possibly needing a cellular network connection for centralized control, data collection, and performance monitoring of individual stations.
If you decide to install a networked EV charging station, it’s essential that you plan ahead for how many additional chargers may be necessary in the future. As a rule of thumb, oversizing both breaker panel and conduit when performing your initial installation will allow for easy expansion when required – saving costs associated with purchasing another breaker panel, trenching again, running new conduit and wiring when expansion becomes necessary.
Additionally, selecting a platform that supports multiple charging networks and protocols is wise as this will enable your EV chargers to be utilized by an array of vehicles as technology evolves over time. The ideal EV charging management software should also support various brands of chargers while offering features such as telemetry and reporting; furthermore it must also be certified ETLus to allow open splices without the need for junction boxes.
Tower
The Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) is essential hardware that connects an EV to its battery for charging, while also offering monitoring and energy management features. There are various types of EVSEs ranging from home box-on-cable models to wall and pedestal mounted devices in workplace, fleet, hotel and retail charging stations as well as towers found at public locations.
As soon as your EV is connected to an EVSE charging station, its control module conducts various checks to make sure it’s safe and ready to provide electricity. These include verifying that its charger port on the car is securely attached as well as checking for faults or safety concerns; additionally it typically provides status indicators with color-coded lights or displays; once everything passes inspection, its main relay activates to begin providing power.
Most EVSEs supply AC power that is then converted to direct current (DC), for use in charging an EV’s battery. Some fast chargers offer direct current charging directly without conversion step – these fast chargers offer higher voltage DC directly to charge car batteries faster.
To select the most reliable EVSE for your business, always look for certification from a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) on its own device. This certification indicates that the product meets industry safety standards and will work with your electric vehicles. Any product without this label could violate industry guidelines and present potential danger.
