Leaning towards the rejuvenation of electronic devices with the integration of connected space, Smart devices are now slowly enshrouding the market of battery-operated devices in all aspects of our everyday lives.
Designed to save people’s time and money where everything in the world works on energy, companies strive to optimize our resources.
In a bid to switch towards a cleaner mobility, the sales of electric vehicles have gone up in the past few years.
And if you are an EV enthusiast or a proud EV owner, you must have some ideas on, “What is Smart EV Charging?”
Apart from offering smart services, the amalgamation of the Internet of Things (IoT) and electric mobility have opened a slew of the connected world with sustainable options.
What is Smart EV Charging?
Describing Smart EV Charging in layman’s terms, it refers to using intelligence to manage how an electric vehicle will be plugged into a smart charger and when to receive power for charging.
Smart EV Charging is also based on the cost of electricity, its availability, and the needs of the driver.
Being a Smart EV Charger, it lets the driver monitor, manage, and adjust energy consumption and requires a data connection between the EV, the charger, the charge point operator’s cloud-based charging management platform and the grid.
In other terms, Smart EV Charging is the utilization of various hardware and software technologies to facilitate load management in EV chargers (typically level 2).
Integrating cloud-based solutions with charging, only the sky is the limit as the Smart EV Charging service can be easily modified since it is effortless to add and delete any features and create a customized system suiting the driver’s needs.
Thus, clearly explaining “What is Smart EV Charging?”
Components of Smart EV Charger
Known as the balancing load of the electric vehicle, the Smart EV Charger adjusts the power sent to the electric car based on preset configurations in real-time.
This is done by reading the electric signals from various devices and carefully managing and controlling the power flowing from the Smart EV Charger.
Mainly a Smart EV Charger is composed of,
Charging Unit – This is a box-like structure that houses the intelligent hardware and software required for Smart EV Charging and is typically attached to a charging cable.
Wired/Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Connection – A secure data connection is also required to allow the user to communicate with the charger, typically with an app.
Smartphone app – Connecting the Smart EV Chargers, a smartphone app acts as a communication link with the charger and preset configurations.
What’s the Mechanism of Smart EV Charging Station?
Depending on the connection between charging points and users or operators, Smart EV Charging acts as the link.
So, every time an EV is plugged in for Smart EV Charging, the charging station quickly transfers information like charging time or speed via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connection to a centralized cloud-based management platform with or without some additional data.
Data like the local grid’s capacity and how energy is currently being used at the charging site could be sent about either a house, office building, or a supermarket among other things.
In turn, the mass of data is then automatically analyzed and visualized in real-time by the software behind the platform which can decide automatically how and when EVs are charged.
Because of this convenience, EV charging operators can then control and regulate energy usage easily and remotely through any one dedicated platform, website or mobile application.
Perks of Smart EV Charging
Saves Money in Long Term
An EV owner can easily save money on the petrol and diesel bills with little effect on the electricity bill by maximizing their solar consumption and scheduling EV charging to off-peak times.
Environmental Benefits
Using Smart EV Charging along with a solar generator, the owner can help minimize the carbon footprint.
Ease of Convenience
Since one can charge an EV anytime at will, Level 2 chargers fall between 50% (3.6 kW) to 900% (22kW) faster than charging from a standard 10A power outlet (2.4 kW).
Fast Charging Speed
Generally, according to the type of power charger used, the charging time is much shorter in home charging or via Smart EV Charging.