Electric vehicles (EVs) have arisen in recent years as a crucial component of mobility as the globe as a whole switches to more environmentally friendly modes of transportation. Drivers discover that it’s simple to get acclimated to the convenience of charging your car at charging stations, in addition to the fact that EVs are a more ecologically responsible option that also provides a better driving experience.
Similar to electric cars, these electric car chargers frequently go far beyond simply being a piece of equipment that can recharge your car’s battery. Many of them also have smart charging features that can help you manage your charging session wisely.
Smart EV Charging
A charging station, an electric vehicle (EV), and a user can all be connected through a range of technologies collectively referred to as “smart charging“, also known as intelligent charging. As a result, it grants access to information and charging insights, ensuring effective energy use and preventing additional costs.
The Smart Charging function in the Electric Vehicle Charging network plays a great role in terms of the:
-optimizing the load,
-taking advantage of peak shaving where you can control the power that charger is drawing from the grid dynamically and optimize your cost by using less power when the electricity price is high and using more power when the price is cheap,
-balance the powers between multiple connectors/guns.
Key Benefits
An internet-connected smart ev charger gives you the ability to manage and monitor the charging of your car. As such, you can ensure charging adapts to your needs and there are even ways to use it and reduce your electricity bill. While the precise features of smart chargers can vary widely, they always share the capacity to create a wireless connection between a car and a station. The charging station’s software makes this possible, and an internet connection is typically added on top of that to let users control the ccs charger from a distance using a mobile app.
With the help of smart charging, you may get information about how you use charging stations and how much electricity you use. In order to make the session more optimized regarding when and how to charge, you may monitor how frequently you charge your vehicle, how much energy you use, and at what times.
When you take into account that, on average, a car is parked 96 percent of the time, scheduled charging assumes all of its significance. Of course, you could simply plug it in and leave it charging whenever you are at home, but doing so is bad for both your pocketbook and the battery in your car.
In fact, many utility companies provide lower off-peak rates during times when there is less demand for power, such as at night or on the weekends. By scheduling your charging during these periods, you can make significant long-term savings.
A car’s long-term battery health may suffer if it is left at the charging station, in addition to the higher cost of charging during peak hours. Like all lithium-ion batteries, EV batteries deteriorate with each charge-discharge cycle and gradually lose some of their capacity. Smart charging can guarantee that your EV is charged affordably and in a way that maximizes its battery lifespan by allowing you to choose a start time and maximum charge level.
Depending on your region, energy provider, and contract, you may be able to take advantage of off-peak pricing by arranging to charge at particular hours. These are typically accessible at night and on the weekends and are used to encourage users to shift their energy usage to quieter hours when there is less strain on the grid. You can save a lot of money by regularly charging your EV during these times.
The chart shown below is an example of where smart charging has been implemented. According to the project needs, the charger was prescheduled with “tx profile”. The actual total power is 150kW, it’s scheduled by Central System to deliver different output powers during the individual time intervals in a day.
Conclusion
Keeping costs optimized is important to many EV drivers at a time when energy prices are rising at an unprecedented rate. Smart charging makes it simple to manage the charging process and guarantees that you’re taking advantage of the best costs to fuel your car by enabling communication between users, chargers, and EVs.
It’s a tempting tool for conveniently monitoring EV charging and keeping energy use under control at a time when efficiency and convenience are becoming more significant factors for fast charging stations.