Understanding Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) As electric vehicles have advanced, the biggest strides have been made around range, but it is just as important that charging and battery conditioning are effective for usability. As they have transitioned to mainstream, it is the fast charging and low degradation levels that have had a significant effect on how people experience EVs, and providing that fast effective charging is enabled by Electric vehicle Supply Equipment. For most people, this equipment would be understood better if called a charging station or wall charger, but essentially it is the technology that connects the vehicle to a power supply and regulates the charging process to ensure safety. You will find two different types of EVSE are commonly used: Level — This charges from a 120v supply using a standard household AC plug outlet. It is slow but convenient, as it requires no extra equipment. Level — This faster option makes use of 240v residential, or 204v commercial power to provide faster charging than level 1, however it does need that specialized supply to function. In practice both work in a similar way, you park your EV at home, plug the provided cable into your home socket or level 2 charger, and the system safely charges the battery for you. A Focus on Safety Whether level 1 or 2 EVSE, one of the most crucial design focuses for all this equipment is safety. EV batteries are safe in normal conditions, but can overheat or malfunction if the charging process is not controlled properly. Electric vehicle Supply Equipment includes 3 dedicated safety features to maintain safe charging for your vehicle. Circuit Protection — Cuts power in the case of overloads or shorts to prevent damage Ground Fault Protection — Detects current leakage and cuts power to prevent shock Auto Disconnect — A system that disconnects power id the charging process is interrupted in some way, maintaining safety be eliminating electrical flow. Charging EVs in the future As more EVs hit the roads, the demand for smart charging increase too. To maintain grid effectiveness with this additional load, EVSE will continue to improve in both efficiency and safety, providing a more convenient, easier to use process for this essential aspect of EV use. In that sense, EVSE is a crucial component of the future of EVs as a whole, and will play a major part in the increased adoption and safe use of this vehicles moving forwards.
Cloud Login