The importance of networked electric vehicle charging stations

Electric vehicle adoption is growing.With climate change the auto industry is making battery powered machines in volume.

More EV drivers on the road demand more number of EV charging stations as well.However,not all charging stations are the same.You have probably heard about Networked and non-networked chargers.

There is a difference between networked and non networked charging stations.It is essential to understand difference between both types.Both types of chargers provide the energy necessary to power an electric vehicle (EV); however, they have significant differences in the initial costs, ongoing costs, accessibility, and maintenance.

What is networked EV charging station

Networked charging stations are connected remotely to a larger network and are part of an infrastructure system of connected chargers. As such, the chargers have remote access to online management tools through an online portal known as an EVSE network.

What is non networked charging station

Non-networked charging stations are stand-alone units that are not part of an EVSE network. Due to the fact that they are not connected to a network infrastructure, they are not accessible remotely.non-networked chargers that don’t have Internet access. This means you can’t collect usage data, monitor them for problems, balance loads during peak demand, or charge users a fee for plugging in.

How networked charging is superior

You can determine who can charge at your stations

- Networked charging makes it easy to limit access to electric chargers to certain groups of EV drivers, and it also enables different groups to power up at different times of day.

For example - limiting access to employees during work hours and opening up charging to the public after hours.

In case of a non-networked station, a host will need to create a process to support access control, such as giving drivers a PIN code or physical key to access the station. If drivers forget the PIN or lose the key, they won’t be able to charge and could associate this frustration with a particular property.

You can keep a watch on your station

Networked charging solutions often provide a dashboard that property owners and managers can access on their digital devices or desktop computers. This platform enables one to see how many people are charging at a station at any moment.

This will help technicians to perform remote monitoring and troubleshooting, keeping the stations up and running as much as possible.

Non-networked stations will require an expensive in-person visit to diagnose and fix issues.

You can monitor know how much energy you’re using and set limits on energy use

With a networked EV charging system, the host can monitor real-time energy use and control costs by setting a ceiling to avoid “demand charges” or high power costs billed by utility companies. A networked solution will also provide reports on energy use, costs and emissions avoided to facilitate data sharing.

You can know who’s using your stations?

One of the most significant advantages of networked charging is the ability to gather and analyze data. Who’s using the stations and when? What types of cars do they drive? How much energy is being consumed? This information is difficult if not impossible to gather from non-networked stations.

Ability to set pricing

Free charging can help attract customers to a property, while setting a small fee can help recover electricity costs. Adding a fee after an hour or two encourages drivers to move on after they’re done powering up.Networked stations make it easy to manage how much it costs for people to charge at stations, and they facilitate changing fee amounts over time.

Networked charging stations offer full control of the units, including the ability to charge a fee for the electricity consumed. As they connect to a larger network infrastructure, they also store the station’s usage data, including the number of charges per day/time, time of use, electricity consumed per charge, and more.

non-networked stations do not access internet systems, they do not have the ability to charge a fee for usage.

Maintenance of station

With a networked charging station, maintenance can remotely be troubleshot and often fixed without requiring any human intervention. In non-networked stations, any repair will require a service technician to physically come to the unit to troubleshoot and repair the unit if it stops working.

These points will help you to make the correct choice right for your business.At KAZAM ,we provide a network platform that is suitable for any kind of EV business model as well as around the clock customer support.Kazam is an agnostic EV charging software platform building India's largest smart and affordable EV charging network.Are you looking to install EV charging stations at your business?Let's connect