7 Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Electric Vehicles Charging Station 

What is the difference between connected charging stations and standard stations?

The principle of connected terminals for electric cars is the same as that of standard terminals. A charging box is installed by a technician and it allows you to charge your electric car at home. The difference between standard terminals and connected devices is management. Connected charging terminals have the advantage of being able to manage the charging of your electric vehicle remotely. Connected charging stations are particularly appreciated by professionals who use electric cars. This type of box provides access to the charging history of your electric vehicle. Thus, people who use their vehicle for professional purposes can easily request a mileage reimbursement from their employer each month. Connected charging devices save time by transmitting charging sessions to their owner with just a few clicks.

Which vehicles recharged with a 7.4 kW terminal?

The choice of the power of a charging station must be made primarily according to the particularities of the onboard charger of the electric vehicle. This equipment integrated into the car is intended to transform the alternating current of the electrical network into direct current. An EV battery only accepts direct current, hence the interest of this conversion. The charger is limited to maximum power and charging will be limited to this ceiling. This means that by opting for an EV equipped with a 7.4 kW onboard charger and plugged into a 22 kW terminal, charging will be limited to 7.4 kW. Manufacturers have voluntarily decided to reduce the power of these chargers to offer more affordable prices on their cars, the manufacturing costs of which are already burdened by the battery.

What are the different powers of electric charging stations?

The different powers of electric car charging stations are:

• 3.7kW;
• 7.4kW;
• 11kW;
• 22kW.

Other terminals can be set to each of these powers. In general, it is considered that the higher the power of the terminal, the higher the average cost of it.

When to choose fast chargers?

Fast charging has real-time-saving benefits for EV drivers. The vehicle's battery is recharged to 80% in about 30 minutes with a fast terminal and 10 minutes with an ultra-fast terminal, enough to save precious time! However, it also has real drawbacks, as repeated use tires the battery and significantly reduces its lifespan. It overheats and wears out much faster. In addition, in everyday use, fast or ultra-fast charging is unnecessary, since journeys are usually short, allowing the car to be charged overnight.

Can 2 charging stations be installed in a house?

According to statistics, nearly 80% of electric vehicle drivers charge their cars at home, whether for economic or practical reasons. It is therefore natural to be interested in the installation of a domestic charging station when acquiring an electric vehicle. Given the development of this type of mobility, it is no longer rare to find more than one electric car in the same household, which requires adaptation in terms of the charging solution.

There is no longer any doubt that the charging station is the most suitable charging solution for a home installation. Safe, efficient, and effective, it makes car charging more comfortable. Not only does the charging station reduce the time it takes to connect to the socket, but it provides security that no other solution can provide. With a home charger, the charging power ranges from 3.7 to 22 kW, reducing the charging time to 2.5 hours on average depending on the capacity of the vehicle's battery. Depending on his needs, the user can plug in his vehicle during the night or a few hours before hitting the road. At a time when electric mobility tends to become the rule, the market is developing in favor of electric vehicles.

It is therefore not uncommon to find more than one electric vehicle in the same household. One charging station is likely not sufficient, either because both users charge their vehicle at the same time or because there are more than two electric cars in the house. Owners can therefore express the need to install two charging stations at home, which is quite possible. Installing two charging stations means that the electrical installation of the house will be used twice as much. Care should therefore be taken when installing them. To know the cost of the installation, it is necessary to request a quote from Kazam EV.

Which one to buy: AC charger or DC charger?

The charging current can be direct ( DC) or alternating (AC). The first is present only at public charging stations, while the second is the one we have and use at home every day or in some public places. Furthermore, the charging stations have a maximum “supply” power, and the cars have a maximum at which they can “receive” current.

In the case of alternating systems, there is a maximum of 22 kW of power, but our home system must be adapted to reach these peaks, normally the meter is calibrated at 3 kW only. Therefore, if we decide to buy a battery-powered car, it is better to equip ourselves with a charging wall box and increase the threshold with our supplier. They are so-called because in most cases they are designed to be mounted on the wall like any meter or electrical panel.

The DC of the most powerful columns, on the other hand, can abundantly exceed 150 kW and reach up to 250 kW. The charging sockets and cables change accordingly, while it is important to note, as we originally mentioned, that not all-electric cars support such powerful recharges.

What is the correct cable for charging the electric car?

Charging cables are not as simple as we can imagine, such as those in normal electrical devices, from smartphones to vacuum cleaners. If extensions in the house usually have three "electrical wires" (positive, negative, and grounding) inside them, things get complicated, and not a little. In fact, inside a charging cable there are the "power" cables that transmit electricity or alternating or direct current, and then other monitoring and control cables to make the infrastructure interact with the car and the other way around. These range from checking the charging status, such as the temperature of the inverter and the batteries, to the maximum deliverable power, and locking the charging socket if charging is in progress. In fact, given the important amperage and the high voltage involved it is essential that no component overheats or that there are even minimal voltage losses. In this case, recharging must be promptly interrupted and the fault signaled.

Type of private charging (domestic or corporate) carried out in safe conditions, slow or fast depending on the available power. The domestic or industrial type sockets are connected through a power cable that has an electronic regulation and control device that guarantees the safety of operations during recharging. This is the simplest solution for charging electric cars, represented by domestic sockets. In all cars, in the original equipment, we also find the EVSE charger, which is a cable that can be connected to a common domestic socket.