Sustaining dependable chargers requires common inspections by fleet managers, preventative upkeep by skilled electricians, and every day checks by community technicians who can see the chargers on-line.
We see the phrase “reliability” used on a regular basis in EV charging. However in case you’re new to electrical automobiles, you may be scratching your head while you see this. You would possibly ask your self, “Why wouldn’t a charger be dependable?”
It’s an necessary query, particularly for fleets, the place uptime means the whole lot. So let’s unpack this buzzword and the way it pertains to business fleet electrification.
What Reliability Means in EV Charging
I’ve labored within the EV area for the reason that Nineties when GM launched the EV1. Since that point, reliability in EV charging has usually referred as to if a charger works to cost an EV. As new EV charging providers and networking software program have emerged, “reliability” is being utilized in all kinds of contexts. Some firms for instance boast 99% or better reliability, whereas others are reportedly struggling to be obtainable 60% of the time. It seems these firms are referring to completely totally different product choices. It might probably actually really feel overwhelming to the uninitiated.
Sometimes, reliability is utilized in reference to public chargers and charging networks, the place individuals are counting on charging for private transportation. Current research and authorities investments have put a nice deal of consideration on this sector.
Within the business fleet area, we require our personal definition of reliability. The best way fleets function and journey are totally different from the typical driver, and the implications of charging downtime and safety breaches are totally different. Right here’s what reliability must imply for fleets:
A charger safely places kilowatt-hours right into a fleet car when the car wants it on the full energy degree the car requires.
How Reliability Is Measured
You’ve in all probability seen EV charging providers promote “99% reliability” or “higher than 99% uptime.” What goes into that calculation?
That actually will depend on the product being promoted. Let me break it down into two classes: {hardware} and software program.
For {hardware}, EV charger reliability is measured by how successfully a charger places kilowatt-hours right into a car.
Nonetheless, reliability on this sense is tough to measure persistently. Why? First, a charger could cost a car however solely to 50% energy — is that also assembly your reliability requirement? Second, there are lots of several types of EVs on the market, so it’s essential to issue your particular fleet combine. A charger could cost one car completely, however a distinct mannequin at solely half the required energy degree.
Moreover, irrespective of how good an EV charger could also be, customers are interfacing with them daily. And as fleet house owners and managers, you’ll be able to actually perceive the toll that prime utilization can tackle a bit of kit. Sustaining dependable chargers requires common inspections by fleet managers, preventative upkeep by skilled electricians, and every day checks by community technicians who can see the chargers on-line.
For software program, reliability is even stickier to quantify.
Charger administration software program tracks every charger in a fleet’s charging infrastructure. I’ve seen just a few examples from software program firms that boast practically 100% reliability. What they’re calculating is what number of instances their software program checks in with a charger — that’s it.
That’s not a measure of whether or not the charger really offers kWh to the automobiles. And when a charger is down, it typically requires an skilled technician to restore it, not a distant software program resolution.
Questions for Charging Companies
As you start electrifying your fleet, ask these questions while you’re speaking to EV charging infrastructure providers:
- What number of chargers are you presently sustaining and utilizing to serve fleet automobiles?
- How do you present reliability and the way do you measure it?
- What are the frequent failure factors in your system?
- Do you depend on subcontractors? To what extent?
- What’s your pace of decision when my chargers are down?
- How can I design my set up to be dependable and resilient?
As you intend to impress your fleet, it’s extremely necessary to grasp the phrase that’s so elementary to EV charging — reliability — as pedestrian because it may appear. Set your fleet up for achievement by establishing excessive reliability requirements early and getting settlement from distributors on what it means.
