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Every site where EV charging stations are installed has a load capacity based on grid capacity. EV charging stations add to the existing demand on the grid in any location, so understanding what’s available and the power demands over time informs the number and type of stations on offer.
Similarly, EV station owners must manage EV charging power to ensure stations deliver a charge to all drivers and electric vehicles, while not taxing the grid. While some of this comes down to the aforementioned number and types of charging stations available, otherwise known as load management, it also requires an EV charging platform management system (CPMS) that provides EV charging power management control and transparency. This is power management.
Let’s say for example you have a retail location with EV charging stations and one of those retail services is a laundromat. During peak hours, the laundromat puts pressure on the grid and limits what is available to EV charging stations. This is about load management.
In contrast, let’s say that location has 5 EV charging stations. When one driver is at a single station, that EV charges with maximum power. When a second driver pulls up, do you let both charge at 50% of power capacity or allow driver one to charge slightly faster and then, when they’re done, shift the remaining power to driver 2? Similarly, if you have 5 drivers at the station, how do you allow them all to charge? At 20%? Or do you provide slightly more power to the drivers who got their first? These decisions are about power management.
As mentioned above, power management is, in simple terms, what allows you as a station owner or host to utilize every station on your site without overloading the grid. In other words, power management enables you to offer more stations, which may charge more slowly, but meet driver demand without upgrades to existing electrical infrastructure. It’s what allows you to balance the power needed from DC fast chargers with the demands from Level 2 chargers on the same site, all while ensuring everyone gets a charge.
Power management will depend, largely, on the needs of your stations and the drivers you’re servicing. For example, with longer dwell time, you can use a power management model (more on that in a minute) that accommodates more drivers and more vehicles. This is great for airports, MDUs, and other locations where drivers will leave cars overnight or longer.
So just what are those power management models? The example we noted above demonstrates some of those models, but let’s drill down.
First in, First Out (FiFo)- In our example above, this is when driver #1, who arrives at the EV charging stations first, gets the fastest charge possible, while still enabling other vehicles to charge. This is especially valuable for on demand fleets who need vehicles on the ready at all times.
Round Robin- In a round robin set up, each car charges at maximum for a set amount of time. Once that time limit is reached, the station charging at max rotates, allowing every car to, at some point during the charging cycle, be charging at max.
Even Charge- This model allows all vehicles to charge at the same rate, sharing the available power equally, regardless of how many vehicles are charging. This can be most effective at MDUs, airports, workplaces, and hospitality locations.
With the right CPMS, you need not commit fully to one model. In fact, based on traffic and demand, you can change the model to meet your needs. During times of lower traffic, you may want to use the FiFo model whereas during times of heavy traffic other models may work better to meet your needs as well as the needs of drivers.
The final, and perhaps most important, factor related to EV power management is your CPMS. The tool you use to manage power loads should be robust and offer you full transparency and control over your stations, including power management.
Your CPMS should allow you to create a wide and varied set of “rules” for different accounts, drivers, vehicles, and organizations. For example, on a public charging station, you may want to prioritize charging for municipal vehicles, or you may want to prioritize it during specific hours and on specific days.
A robust CPMS can help you not only manage power effectively and efficiently, but it can help you automate and create responsive chargers that deliver a great charging experience to customers and employees as well as visitors.
You want that level of control, but you also need flexibility including the ability to change settings on the fly and create those schedules based on real data.That data needs to come from an easy to customize reporting feature that allow you to identify invaluable usage trends that can help you choose the best EV charging power management model for your charging stations.
At NovaCHARGE, we value the driver experience. It’s why we created one of the most reliable networks in the industry. But, we also value the owner/host experience. It’s why we created one of the most flexible and reliable management systems in the industry. Complete control, transparency, and visibility from user to vehicle, station to station.
Ready to talk about how we can help you maximize your location with a power management strategy paired with a CPMS that can help you monitor and maximize? Reach out to our team of experts today!