What is Electric Vehicle Charging Station?

Electric Vehicle Charging Station (EVCS) is the infrastructure that provides the crucial link between an Electric Vehicle (EV) with a depleted battery and the electrical source that recharges those batteries in Electric Vehicle Charging Station (EVCS). The key functionality of an EVCS is to supply electric energy to charge electric vehicles. EVCS is also known as an electric recharging point or charging point.

What drives the EVCS market?

Rising EV sales worldwide

Increase in the adoption and use of electric vehicles has accentuated the need to develop charging infrastructure. Leading markets for electric vehicle such as China, US and Germany are investing significantly in EV charging infrastructure along with research and development for faster and efficient charging methods. Significant investments by automakers are expected to cater to the rising demand for EVs and play a major role in the evolution of the market.

Environmental pollution treated as an alarming issue

The emission of carbon from ICE vehicles is now treated as a significant threat by government of various countries. Several countries have partnered with private companies to achieve the sustainable development od EV charging infrastructure. Government of various countries are working in synergy with private companies to install charging infrastructure. In recent years, more than 200,000 different types of charging stations have been constructed.

Who are the top 10 EVSE players?

The top 10 Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment players are:

• Tesla
• ChargePoint
• BYD
• ABB
• Shell
• BP PLC
• Engie Connect
• Yazaki
• Blink Charging
• SemaConnect

Visionary leaders are the leading market players in terms of new developments such as product launches, innovative technologies, and the adoption of growth strategies. These players have a broad product offering that caters to most of the regions globally. Visionary leaders primarily focus on acquiring the leading market position through their strong financial capabilities and their well-established brand equity. Some of the visionary leaders are Tesla, Shell, BYD, ChargePoint, Blink Charging, ABB, and Engie.

Dynamic Differentiators are established players with very strong business strategies. However, they have a weaker product portfolio compared to the visionary leaders. They generally focus only on a specific type of technology related to the product. Some of the recognized dynamic differentiators are SemaConnect, Siemens and DBT.

Innovators in the competitive leadership mapping are vendors that have demonstrated substantial product innovations as compared to their competitors. The companies have focused on product portfolios. However, they do not have very strong growth strategies for their overall business, when compared with the visionary leaders. The innovators include companies like BP, Webasto and EFACEC.

Emerging companies have niche product and service offerings. Their business strategies are not as strong as that of the established vendors. The emerging vendors include the new entrants in the market, emerging in terms of product portfolio and geographic reach, and require time to gain significant traction in the market. The emerging companies are Schneider, and EVGo.

Benefits of EV Charging

• Implementing EV Charging stations will help individuals and businesses:
• Reduction in carbon emissions
• Employee retention for businesses
• Retailers would be able to attract more customers
• Reduction in electricity consumption leads to energy saving
• Reduction or elimination in fuel expenses
• Flexible payment options
• Business advertising opportunities

Importance of EV Charging

• A Clean Substitute - A battery electric vehicle (BEV) has lesser moving parts than a conventional vehicle. There’s no necessity for liquid fuels or oil changes. Most of the maintenance costs related to internal combustion engines are removed.

• Cost-Efficient - The total cost of owning an EV is comparatively lesser than the gas-fueled cars.

• Energy Independence- The electricity that powers an EV can come from many sources, which may comprise of low-emission sources like natural gas and zero-emission sources like wind, solar, hydro, and nuclear power. These allow EVs to radically decrease gaseous emissions.

• First Mover Advantages - The governments have made a variety of subsidies available for EV charging installations at all stages to develop the primary infrastructure. This enables the early adopters to considerably decrease their investment costs by leveraging public funding.

Who are the major users of EV Charging Systems?

Private Users

• They generally install EV chargers in home garages or outdoor locations such as offices and building parking lots.

• Outdoor installations require outdoor-rated charging equipment. Furthermore, a charging station at a multi-family residential complex requires additional considerations and is similar to a public charging station to the one installed at home.

• A home charging station requires wiring a dedicated circuit. Hence, most EV owners prefer private charging as it is convenient and cheap.

• Over a period, various companies have started offering new innovative technologies by integrating private charging with features such as auto-scheduling, energy star certification, and charging reminders to make the interface of the charging system user-friendly.

Public Users

• Public charging stations are usually installed on highways to charge EVs rapidly. They can be installed at taxi stands, highways, parking lots of commercial properties, hotels, airports, and shopping malls.

• The governments of various countries are encouraging the installation of public charging stations to increase the adoption of electric vehicles.

• For instance, many states in the United States such as California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, and Michigan have implemented various schemes that provide rebates and incentives on the installation of Level 2 charging stations.

• The convenience of charging the vehicle while driving on a highway or during office hours is expected to boost the growth of public charging installations.

Types of EV Chargers

• Rapid Chargers - Rapid chargers are the quickest way to charge an EV. They are usually installed at highways or locations near the main routes. Rapid chargers include Rapid DC chargers, Ultra-Rapid DC, Tesla’s Supercharger, and Rapid AC.

• Fast Chargers - Fast chargers are characteristically rated at either 7 kW or 22 kW. Most of the fast chargers deliver AC charging, though some networks have been installing 25 kW DC chargers with CCS or CHAdeMO connectors.

• Slow Chargers - Most slow charging units have been rated at up to 3 kW with some lamp-post chargers being rated at 6 kW. Charging times differ based on the charging unit and the EV that is being charged.

Important features to be considered while choosing an EV charging Station

• Charger Speed – It matters when the users need to recharge quickly, in between their journeys. Many of the users oppose the idea of EV adoption simply because the charging time is really high. Hence, the charging speed holds a lot of importance when it comes to encouraging users to adopt more EVs.

• Portability – Portable EV chargers can be carried everywhere and they can also be set up wherever and whenever the need arises. This reduces the user’s hassle of searching for charging stations on the journey.

• Wi-Fi Equipped – A Wi-Fi-enabled EV charging station helps the users to track their charging sessions, keep a tab on the power being delivered, and analyze statistics from historical charging sessions.

• Interface – An interactive interface helps users to get useful information and interact with the advertisements displayed on the screens. It helps in increasing awareness and encourages further adoption of EVs.

• Payment Flexibility – EV charging stations generally follow an open payment system. They allow users to pay with their smartphones, cards or by using any other Ecommerce options.

• EV Tax Benefits – Governments of various countries have been encouraging the adoption of EVs. For which, they provide a wide range of tax credits, rebates and grants.

How to choose the right EV Charging Station?

• Safety – The safety of all the equipment has to be considered above the rest of the things.

• Earthing System – The users will need to check if they have TT or IT earthing system on their properties. Post which, they need to consult with the service providers regarding the same.

• Number of Phases- Most of the properties have single-phase or three-phase power supplies. So, if the users plan to get three-phase charging points, they first need to check and verify the number of phases that are available at the property, and if at all, the neutral is available at the main consumer unit. This is very significant as some old properties in some countries might still be using very old three-phase systems with no neutral system.

• Charging Speed – The charging speed has to match the user’s requirements.

• Voltage- Most of the power supply is either 230V single phase or 400V three-phase. So, all the charging points will be in sync with the property’s power supply, as long as the correct phase type was chosen.

• Plug Type - There are only two EV charging plug standards currently available for AC charging. That's Type 1, also referred to as J1442 or Yazaki, and Type 2 also known as Mennekes. The customers need to check what type of plug is more compatible with their needs.

• Charging capacity of the EV- This defines how quick the EV is capable to charge when offered all the power needed to do this. So prior to choosing the charging point the user has to learn about his/her EV’s maximum charging capacity.

What's trending?

• Enterprises, retailers, and service providers are investing heavily in installing EVSE to offer charging services to employees, customers, and vehicle fleets. Managing service charges and operating costs of EVSE presents a new challenge for owners.

• Charging time is a major restraint for the growth of the electric vehicle supply equipment market. Turbocharging has a power output of 800 V. With the help of a Combined Charging System (CCS) connector, it can split its 800V throughput into two 400 V plugs. Porsche has already implemented a pilot project for turbocharging in the Berlin-Adlershof technology park.

• Renewable sources of charging, such as solar, wind, and hydrogen fuel charging, are expected to play a vital role in the charging of EVs in the future. The increase in the usage of renewable energy to power EV charging stations is one of the key opportunities for players in the EV charging market

• Organizations are presently working towards avoiding charging by cables and sockets. Instead, they are planning to introduce a wireless way of charging electric vehicles. The new system would be placed on the ground and it can be assimilated on a large scale in the asphalt or connected with the off-street parking places. The EV that is parked above the system can be charged wirelessly with the help of induction.

• The government has been focused on battery swap as a mechanism to ease the matters of cost of ownership of EVs. Battery Swapping facilities fundamentally support exchange of discharged batteries in a vehicle with fully charged batteries from the shelf. A benefit of battery swapping is the minimized time for energy replacement in EVs as battery swap can be done within 5-15 minutes compared to up to eight hours required for charging a battery.

• Highly recommended by electric utilities, the V2G facility envisions the capability of electricity-producing utilities to equal the demand on their producing volume by drawing energy from the batteries of EVs linked to the grid during the daylight hours of peak demand and returning it to the vehicles during periods of low demand during the night.

• Battery Technology - stable developments in cell chemistry, anode, and cathode material is leading to a decline in cost for each battery by around 6-8%every year.

• Solar-powered cars - Another exciting tech trend revolves around solar-powered cars. Many manufacturers are already working towards developing solar cars.

• Software – Enhancement, and innovation in the software will be another trend to watch out in the near future. Things like connectivity, safety, information, and in-car entertainment should see some interesting developments in 2020.

Recent News

• The Indian government plans to provide EVs with clean power. Indian Railways has made a call to assign space for EV charging places at their station parking lots, with private sector contribution.

• BSES Rajdhani Power (BRPL), a JV of Reliance Infrastructure and Delhi, plans to convert its entire service delivery fleet to an electric-fueled one by 2030.

• Amazon India to include 10,000 electric vehicles into its delivery fleet by 2025

• In June 2019, Electrify America and ChargePoint collaborated, which now permits drivers to use public chargers.

• In May 2019, China established the world’s largest charging station in Shenzhen.

• Vakrangee plans to set up 75,000 EV charging stations across India by FY22.