What Is An EV Charging Station?

The electric vehicles or EVs are considered to be the future of car sales, due to their reduced carbon footprint and better fuel efficiency compared to their conventional counterparts. For the most part, EVs come in two forms: fully charged and empty. When an EV is fully charged, it can be plugged into any standard wall receptacle and powered on as if it were a regular car. These vehicles are popularly known as green cars. However, when an EV is completely drained of power, it becomes a dead weight and is no longer useful. In these situations, people have to store it in a garage or other a suitable place until it can be recharged. This is where the problem lies: how do you safely and tidily charge an EV when you have no idea how much power it takes or how long it will take to fully charge the vehicle? It is not uncommon for people to run out of electricity during a peak hour and be forced to find an alternative power supply, such as solar or wind power. Alternatively, they have to find a spot to charge the car overnight and take it with them in the morning before they leave for work. To complicate matters, some car models require a specific type of charging port that is only available in specific garages or other facilities, which of course, increases the risk of theft or damage. As a result of the above, many garages have installed special charging stations for EVs that are designed to make the process easier for their clients. The ev charger installation of these special charging stations is often quite complex and requires electricians with expertise in handling large electrical currents.

The Basics Of An EV Charging Station

An EV charging station, as the name would suggest, is a device used to charge an electric vehicle (aka an EV). These stations are usually located in cars garages or other areas where a number of EVs can be charged at the same time. When an EV is plugged into an available charging port on the station, it begins charging immediately. The amount of power that the vehicle will take depends on several factors, such as its model, the power source, and the amount of electricity it has left, among other things. In most cases, the process of recharging takes between two and four hours, but it can take much longer depending on the state of charge of the vehicle and the power source. Once the charging process is complete, the vehicle will display a charge icon on the dashboard until the energy is depleted. At this point, the vehicle will beep at the rider and display “low battery” warning lights on the dashboard.

The above details should provide you with a pretty good idea of what an EV charging station is and what it does. Let's take a quick look at some of the more common types of EV charging stations.

Pulse Detachable Voltage (PDV)

If you've ever played with an electronic sports (eSports) radio, you probably already know what a pulse detachable voltage (PDV) EV charging station is and how it works. These stations provide a high level of flexibility since you can remove and replace the battery without having to wait for the entire process to complete. Replacement batteries are almost always included with the station so that users can continue charging without interruption. Most PDV EV charging stations are equipped with circuit breakers that prevent over-current from flowing when the battery is connected and disconnected from the station. This feature makes this type of charger suitable for use in residential areas where people want to charge cars privately without fear of overloading the electrical grid.

Battery Charger

A battery charger is the type of EV charging station that you might find in a garage or other areas where several cars are parked at once. These stations are usually the ones used in commercial or industrial settings where large amounts of energy are needed to charge a number of cars at the same time. Due to the nature of the process, which is usually done on an assembly line, these chargers are much more efficient than the previous two types and can greatly reduce the charging time for an EV. The key difference between a battery charger and a PDV EV charging station is in the connecting mechanism: while the PDV's detachable lead allows for quick disconnects and reconnects, the battery charger is permanently attached to the car's battery. This makes it more tamper-proof and less prone to being stolen, since it's usually located in a less accessible area of the garage. While most battery chargers are compatible with any standard car battery, some need a specific type of connection that is made only by expert electricians and rarely found in home garages. Some models can even charge multiple batteries at the same time.

Solar-Powered Charging Station

An alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles is solar-powered cars, such as the popular Tesla Model S. These vehicles run solely on electricity generated by the sun and are considered to be the ultimate in sustainable transportation. To keep up with demand, Tesla installed thousands of solar-powered charging stations in areas where their customers live and work. These stations are perfect for homeowners that own solar-powered cars and want to charge them on the spot, since they don't require an electrician to install. While most solar-powered stations are equipped with a 12-volt connector that can be connected to a standard car battery, others can handle a special type of connection that is only made to Tesla vehicles. Some solar chargers even come with a built-in 115-volt outlet so that users don't have to run an extension cord to a nearby power outlet to juice up their batteries.

Specialized Installations

Since EVs are a specialized type of car, installing them in garages and other areas where several vehicles can be charged at the same time requires some special attention to detail and planning. When an electrician installs a specialized charging station, they usually do so in a dedicated space that is located in a protected and visible area of the garage. This is so that users will not accidentally overload the electrical grid due to improper installation or careless use. Specialized installations usually consist of a number of 120-volt AC outlets along with a 24-volt DC power supply that is connected to a vehicle's battery. In some cases, a 220-volt AC outlet or a 480-volt DC outlet can also be found in specially designed garages for use with heavy machinery such as tractors and snow blasters.

Additional Considerations

While most EV charging stations are pretty reliable, people that use them have to take extra precautions due to the type of electrical current that they are handling. This current can be very dangerous if not handled properly, which is why the guidelines and specs laid out by the National Electrical Code (NEC) have to be followed. For instance, if a 120-volt AC outlet is used on a 240-volt AC circuit, the electrocution risk is greatly increased. This is why the NEC specifies that only two (2) 120-volt AC outlets can be used per circuit, and they must be placed in anti-circular fashion (i.e., one (1) next to the other (1)). In most cases, the 240-volt circuit can be found only in commercial or industrial settings where several hundred cars are charged at the same time. In residential areas where several cars are parked, the use of a 240-volt circuit is considered overkill and is usually not needed.

In order to protect themselves from receiving a high voltage electrical shock, people that use these types of stations should always wear protective gear such as rubber gloves, safety goggles, and a safety mask. Additionally, they should make sure that the area where the station is going to be located is clearly marked with warning signs. In many cases, it is advisable to also use an electrician's tape to outline the area so that people can't install them incorrectly or accidentally overload the electrical grid due to simple mistakes or ignorance. These are just some of the things that one has to consider when installing an EV charging station.

As you can see, there are a number of things that you need to think about before installing an EV charging station in your garage. It is always better to be safe than sorry, and following these guidelines and specs will greatly reduce the risk of injury due to electrical shock.