How to choose charging stations for electric vehicles?
Content
Wall-mounted charging stations for electric vehicles and hybrids are also known as wall boxes. This is a smaller version of the public AC charging stations found in parking lots, and a larger, more functional version of the portable chargers added to the car kit.
Wallboxes come in different versions. They differ in shape, materials, equipment and electrical protection. The Wallbox is a middle ground between large charging stations that have no room in garages and portable slow chargers that must be removed, deployed, and plugged in every time you charge, and then returned to the car after charging.
Do you need charging stations for electric vehicles?
The heart of every charging station is the EVSE module. It determines the correct connection between the car and the wall box and the correct charging process. Communication takes place over two wires - CP (Control Pilot) and PP (Proximity Pilot). From the point of view of the user of the charging station, the devices are configured in such a way that they practically do not require any action other than connecting the car to the charging station.
Without a charging station, it is impossible to charge the car in MODE 3. The Wallbox provides communication between the car and the electrical network, but also takes care of the safety of the user and the car.
How to choose charging stations for electric vehicles?
First, you need to determine the power connection of the object in order to determine the maximum possible power of the wall box. The average connection power of a single-family home ranges from 11 kW to 22 kW. You can check the connection capacity in the connection agreement or by contacting the electricity supplier.
After you have determined the maximum connected load, you must take into account the target power of the charger to be installed.
The standard charging power of the wall box is 11 kW. This load is optimal for most electrical installations and connections in private homes. Charging power at the level of 11 kW gives an average increase in the charging range by 50/60 kilometers per hour.
However, we always recommend installing a wall box with a maximum charging power of 22 kW. This is due to several factors:
- Little or no price difference
- Larger conductor cross-section - better parameters, greater durability
- If you increase the connection capacity in the future, you do not need to replace the wall box.
- You can limit the charging power to any value.
What affects the price of a charging station?
- Workmanship, materials used, availability of spare parts, etc.
- Optional equipment:
- DEF
from leak DC Provided by an optional DC leakage detection ring and residual current device type A or the residual current device type B. The cost of these protections greatly affects the cost of the charging station. Depending on the manufacturer and the security elements used, they increase the price of the device from about PLN 500 to PLN 1500. We must never ignore this question, because these devices provide protection against electric shock (additional protection, protection in case of damage). - Electricity meter
This is usually a certified electricity meter. Charging stations - especially those in the public where charging charges apply - must be equipped with certified digital meters. The cost of a certified electricity meter is about PLN 1000.
Good charging stations have certified meters that show the actual energy consumption. In cheap charging stations, unverified meters indicate the approximate amount of energy flowing. These may be sufficient for home use, but measurements should be considered approximate and not accurate. - Communication module
4G, LAN, WLAN - allows you to connect to a station to configure, connect a control system, check the station status using a laptop or smartphone. Thanks to the connection, you can start the billing system, check the charging history, the amount of electricity consumed, monitor station users, schedule the start / end of charging, limit the charging power at a specific time, and start remote charging. .
Reader RFID Cards A reader that allows you to assign RFID cards. The cards are used to give users access to charging stations. However, they show a lot of functionality in the case of commercial applications. Mifare technology helps to fully control the level of consumption and consumption of electricity by individual users.- system dynamic power management The system is available in most good wall boxes and charging stations. The system allows you to control the loading of the charging station depending on the number of connected vehicles.
- Stand for attaching the charging station
Racks for car charging stations increase their functionality, they allow charging stations to be installed in places where it is impossible to fix the station on the wall.
- DEF
Before purchasing charging stations for electric vehicles.
General data show that 80-90% of electric vehicle charging takes place at home. So these are not our empty words, but facts based on user actions.
What does this mean to you?
Your home charger will be used almost every day.
Continuously.
It will be as "working" as a refrigerator, washing machine or electric stove.
So if you choose proven solutions, you can be sure that they will serve you for years to come.
Home charging station
GARO CAP
The GARO GLB charging station is successfully used throughout Europe. The Swedish brand, known and appreciated for its reliability, manufactures its charging stations in our country. Prices for the base model start at PLN 2650. The simple yet very elegant style of the station fits perfectly into any space. All stations are designed for a maximum power of 22 kW. Of course, the maximum charging power can be reduced by adapting it to the connected load. The basic version can be equipped according to your preferences with additional elements such as: DC monitoring + RCBO type A, RCB type B, certified meter, RFID, WLAN, LAN, 4G. Additional IP44 water resistance allows it to be mounted on a dedicated outdoor rack.
WEBASTO BITE II
This is a charging station from Germany. Webasto Pure 2 is a reasonable offer in terms of price and quality ratio. To do this, replace the 5-year manufacturer's warranty. Webasto has stepped forward and offered a version with a 7m charging cable! In our opinion, this is a very good move. This allows, for example, to park the car in front of the garage and clean it on the weekends while charging it without worrying about the charging cable being too short. Webasto has DC monitoring as standard. Webasto Pure II is available in versions up to 11 kW and 22 kW. Of course, in these ranges you can adjust the maximum power. It is also possible to install the station at a dedicated post.
Green PowerBOX
This is a hit on the price - it just can't be cheaper. Due to its price, it is the most popular home charging station. The station is distributed by Green Cell and comes with a two-year warranty. The version with type 2 socket and RFID is a wall box for the house for PLN 2299. Additionally, it is equipped with a screen informing about the most important charging parameters. Maximum charging power 22 kW. In this case, the charging power is regulated via the charging cable. The appropriate resistance on the PP wire tells the station what maximum current it can supply to the machine. Thus, the number of degrees of limiting the maximum charging current is less than in the case of GARO or WEBASTO.
Should you buy charging stations?
At 3EV, we think so! There are several reasons for this:
- A lot of energy flows through the charging stations (even 22 kW) - a flow of such a high power generates heat. The larger volume of the device facilitates better heat dissipation than with high power portable chargers.
- The Wallbox is a device designed for continuous operation, not intermittent like portable charging stations. This means that once purchased, the device will work for many years.
- Let's face it - we value our time. Once you have a wall box, all you have to do is insert the plug into the outlet when you get out of the car. Without removing cables and chargers from the machine. Without worrying about forgetting about the charging cable. Portable chargers are fine, but for travel, not everyday use.
- Wall boxes are not disposable. You can install a wall box today with a maximum charging power of, for example, 6 kW, and over time - by increasing the connection power - increase the car's charging power to 22 kW.
If you have any doubts - contact us! We will definitely help, advise and you can be sure that we will offer you the best price on the market!
