Graham Rowlands, Managing Director at Devitech, discusses the three biggest challenges for EV charger installations and the new EV charging regulations for 2024.
The 3 Ms of EV charging success and how following them will allow you to make a good return on your investment.
Working with your current electrical capacity on site
When it comes to EV charger installation, our priority is to assess the electrical capacity of your site. We always start by exploring the possibility of utilising the existing electrical supply through load balancing. While some installers may walk away if there isn't enough capacity, we take a different approach as solution providers. We delve deeper to investigate if the issue lies in the management of your existing supply. Our goal is to find the best solution for you.
Finding solutions to connectivity issues
New regulations are coming into effect in 2024, requiring all EV charging networks to maintain a minimum reliability rate of 99%, as well as providing real-time data on their status. Connectivity has always been a big part of EV charging success and something we’ve always set up for past clients. However, this becoming a non-negotiable regulatory requirement will help the industry considerably.
While electrical capacity and power may seem like the biggest concern for EV chargers, connectivity is actually the biggest worry, as it’s paramount to have real-time data on each charger to ensure that the end-user can charge and pay for EV charging effortlessly.
With every installation, we ensure we utilise the existing Wi-Fi on site, create a separate Wi-Fi connection for your EV chargers, or facilitate hardwired connectivity. One example of some creative problem-solving we workshopped for a rural client whose Wi-Fi connection was far away from the EV chargers was installing QR codes for each charger in their Wi-Fi-connected reception area. And, if you’re ever concerned about your customers getting into trouble when charging their vehicles, we also have a 24/7 contact centre available for them to use.
Making sure payment gateways are set-up for contactless payments
Another new regulation coming into effect in 2024 is requiring all EV chargers (that are faster than 8kw) to offer contactless payments, removing the need for smartphone apps.
EV chargers will also be required to allow customers to pay via a third-party provider such as Apple Pay or Google Pay, as well as clearly displaying the cost per kilowatt per hour either on the charger itself or through a separate device that can be accessed without a contract. No additional smartphone apps will be required, and no extra terms and conditions will need to be accepted.
Contactless payments through Apple Pay and Google Pay is something that we’ve been able to utilise with our back-office management system, but we agree that being able to pay through the EV charger itself vs 73 different apps for payment can only be a positive direction for removing barriers to electric vehicle ownership.
Graham Rowlands, Managing Director at Devitech
We know there’s so much to take in, so we’re here to help you every step of the way. To start your EV charging journey, book a site assessment via the button below.