Plug and Charge: All you need to know about EV Charging Station

Since our childhood, we all have seen gasoline-fueled cars and have been using them to date. Today, technological advancements have made it possible for us to drive electric vehicles. They provide several benefits. One of the significant perks of driving electric cars is not having to fill its fuel car. In a sense, it runs on batteries, and you need to charge them, as we do our mobile phones and other gadgets to keep them functioning. 

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You can choose to charge your auto vehicle either at home or at a charging station. Yes, you heard that correctly! Just as we have petrol pumps for vehicles that run on petrol and diesel, we have charging stations for electric cars. That said, if you own an electric vehicle or are planning to buy one, you should know a few things about EV charging stations. 

This article has got you covered and will help you know the essentials of EV charging stations, irrespective of where and when you want to drive. 

What is Plug And Charge?

Plug and charge is the most secure and most straightforward way to charge the vehicles. All that the driver has to do is connect the charging cable of the EV to a charging point, and the car will start charging. During the plug and charge sessions, drivers should be extra careful. The driver should ensure that the vehicle’s information, transaction details, charging networks, and billing information are safe from third-party manipulation. 

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Several cryptographic tools are used by plug and charge. These tools are used to secure the communication of the vehicle and safeguard the personal information of the driver. Once the connection between the car and the charging point is made, every information and authorization happens across a very safe communication link. This happens to keep the data authenticated and confidential. 

Every vehicle is linked with a billing account which can be family, corporate, personal, or even other EV owners. Plug and charge also tell the charging point or station the kind of EV the driver is plugging.  

The concept of plug and charge was introduced by ISO 15118, the international standard for charging EVs. Plug and charge apply to wireless and wired charging use cases. 

For a successful session of plug and charge, the charging station and EV should be able to:

• Detect if the message they have received is tampered with or not. This enhances data integrity.
• It should verify that the charging station or EV, i.e. the communicating counterpart is the same as who it claims. This strengthens the authenticity.
• Decrypt and encrypt the messages so that no malicious actor or third party eavesdrops on the communication. This makes sure that confidentiality is maintained.

Different Types Of Plug And Charge

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There are different types of plugs and charges. In this part of the article, we will look at some of these types to get an overview of them.

Different types of charging cable:

• Mode 2 charging cable: There are many versions in which way two charging cables are available. Generally, the mode 2 charging cable for connecting with an ordinary socket is supplied by the vehicle manufacturer. Therefore in case of emergency, drivers can use a domestic socket. The communication between the charging point and the vehicle is provided by a box connected between the connector plug and the vehicle plug. Another version of this cable is more advanced for various CEE industrial sockets.
• Mode 3 charging cable: This is a connector cable between the electric car and the charging point.

Several types of plugs are compatible with various vehicle manufacturers, such as type 1 plug, type 2 plug, combination plug, CEE plug, and CHAdeMO plug. Here are some different types of plugs:

• Type 1 plug: This is a single-phase plug, and it allows charging power up to 7.4kW. This plug is generally used in cars from Asian countries and is very rare in European countries.
• Type 2 plug: This is very common in European countries and is also the standard plug there. The plug can allow charging power up to 22kW and even 43kW in some cases.
• Combination plugs: Combination plugs are also known as Combined Charging System or CSS. This type of plug is an advanced version of the Type 2 plug and has two more powering contacts to increase the charging speed. Besides, it also supports DC and AC charging power levels up to 170 kW.
• CHAdeMO plugs: CHAdeMO plug is a quick charging system that was developed in Japan. This plug has a charging capability of up to 50kW. Here is a list of some of the manufacturers that are compatible with the CHAdeMO plug: 
  • Nissan
  • Tesla (with the adapter)
  • Kia
  • Honda
  • Toyota
  • Subaru
  • BD otomotiv 
  • Citroën
  • Peugeot

• CEE plug: CEE plug can be found in several variants. Some of them are given below:
  • CEE 32- It is an industrial plug with charging levels up to 11kW
  • Camping plug- it comes with charging levels up to 3.7kW.
  • Triple phase red version for the industrial socket
  • CEE 16- it is a small industrial plug with charging levels up to 11kW

Why Do You Need A Plug And Charge For Your Electric Vehicle?

Most of the users of electric vehicles prefer to charge their cars overnight to use the car the following day. Generally, AC level 1 or level 2 charging tools are used for doing so. People install their charging equipment typically in their garage; however, setting up outdoor gear is also pretty safe. If you want to set up your charging equipment outdoors, you should go for outdoor-rated charging equipment. Outdoor charging equipment is safe even when it is raining so that you don’t have to worry about the safety of your vehicle or charging station.

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The benefit of setting up a charging station at your residence is innumerable. You will be able to safely and quickly charge your electric vehicle at night so that it is ready to ride on the following day. By setting up a charging station, you will safely and rapidly charge your car and with comfort and intelligently. When you have a charging station at your place, you will have to take the plug out of the holder and then plug it into your vehicle. The charging point can also be used intelligently when you connect it with the house’s photovoltaic system. With the help of this system, you can use excess solar energy to charge your vehicle. 

Ev Plug And Charge Safety Tips 

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Charging your EV is of utmost safety when you do it with the right equipment. This is good news for all those who are planning to buy electric vehicles. Charging your electric car is safe when done with proper and certified equipment. 

Whenever a new product is developed, or even a minute change is made to any of the products, the charging station manufacturer must send samples to a Testing Laboratory that is Nationally Recognised. Months of safety testing by the engineers are carried out on the product to ensure that the product is not harmful and then is made available for public use. This is how the safety of a product is certified. 

After all, tests are passed by the products of a particular charging station manufacturer. They are inspected four times a year by the officials of the Testing Laboratory, which issued the safety certificate. 

How Can You Tell if a Charging Station is Safety Certified? 

As a consumer, the official marks of Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory Symbols would let you know that a particular charging station is a safety certified. Such marks are not imposed on the products unless the products pass rigorous testing by the safety engineers. Also, the manufacturer has to pass random inspections to retain the safety mark on its product. Also, you should always check for the mark on the product. 

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It is void if it appears in a statement, on the website, or in a manual. The marks will appear on the product’s nameplate, which is also known as the rating plate. The building inspector will also look for the same mark to make sure that the installation of the product was done after the product went through rigorous tests. 

When checking for the safety of the Charging Station, keep the below-mentioned things in mind. 

• Deceptive Markings: There are a lot of manufacturers that use original looking marks that are not real. A common mark used is a CE logo. That said, if you see a CE mark only on the product, it determines that the product was not certified independently. The Testing Laboratory does not provide this mark. Public safety is serious, and therefore you can verify from the online resources of the testing laboratories whether or not they have issued a safety mark for a particular product. 

• Deceptive Claims: You should be extra careful when picking a charging station to charge your electric vehicle. Stations that are certified to do the job will depict their certifications on the station itself and their advertisements. If you are not sure about the certification of a particular product, you can ask them for the certification of the product to be sure about it. They can easily confirm the certification of their product from an online directory. 

• Beware of uncertified products: If you buy a particular product from a seller who seems genuine to you, it doesn’t mean that their station is also certified. Several larger home improvement retailer stores never carry an uncertified appliance in their store. However, you will find several online stores and other retailers carrying and selling unlisted products. 

What To Consider When Buying An EV Plug And Charge For Your Electric Car?

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Electric vehicles have several things in common with fueled cars, except for one thing. It is the thing on which they run. As the name suggests, electric vehicles run on electricity, i.e. batteries. That said, you will need a charger to recharge your car when its battery gets drained after a certain period. 

For the ease of all-electric vehicle users, we are discussing a few things you should know about buying, installing, and using the right EV charger. 

When it comes to a gasoline-fueled car, most drivers often drive their vehicles until they run on fuel because petrol pumps are located everywhere, and it’s very easy to get their tanks filled again. However, owners don’t wait for their batteries to get drained completely when it comes to electric vehicles. They put their vehicles in charge every night or two nights, and the car gets charged in the morning.

Let us know about choosing the right EV charger. 

• Plug-in or Hardwired: Charges for EV are available in two types, the hardwired lines and the plug-in chargers. With plug-in chargers, you can carry your charger along to use in any other location as well. On the contrary, hardwired chargers are attached to the wall, and you cannot carry them along with you. Hence, choose one based on what will suit your needs. 

• Smart or Dumb: Smart EV chargers come with apps, and they allow the owners to do several things such as monitoring the real-time charging of their vehicle, review the charging sessions, setting reminders to plug the charger in, etc. Dumb chargers don’t provide any other benefit, and they can only be used to charge your vehicle. 

• Cost: The market has several different options available when it comes to EV chargers. The price range of such chargers varies greatly and ranges from $200-$1000. 

• Cable Length: EV Chargers come with cables of different lengths. The cable of the charger can be as short as 12-feet and can be as long as 25-feet. That said, you can choose the length of your charger as per your needs. You should pick a long enough cable to reach the charger port, no matter in which position you park your car. 

• Power Delivery: The charger of your EV should be able to deliver the power of at least 32 amps to 40 amps. We recommend buying a charger of this range because even if the vehicle you own today doesn’t require so much power, your future vehicles will support the charger adequately, and then you will not have to buy a new one. 

• Certification of Safety with a 3-Year Warranty: You will find a wide array of charging equipment available to charge your electric vehicle. You will have to make a definite choice when buying one. Many of these are inexpensive, low-quality, and are not safety certified and have short warranties. The certified products have at least three years of warranty on them. 

Most Recommended Universal EV Plug And Charge Brand

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We are by now aware that electric cars are the future. Hence, it is now time to consider a home charger faster than the charger that originally comes with your vehicle. Also, your charger should be able to charge your car at the rate of 2-5 miles per hour. 

If you are looking to buy plug and charging equipment, we list a few top brands with which you can never go wrong. However, you should know whether you want to buy a level 1 or a level 2 charger. Yes, there are two different types of chargers available for you to make the most of it. 

Also, some chargers can either be plugged in, whereas the others are hardwired. The choice depends clearly on what you want. Choosing a plug-and-play is recommended since you will not have to go through the hassle of getting the charger installed. 

• Beny EV Charger:

One of the most high-performing plug and charge equipment perfect for all-electric vehicles. It has a type 2 connector with the help of which it supplies power to the vehicle to run adequately. Beny charger has a wall-mounted design and water and dustproof housing, making it an ideal choice to be installed at any corner you wish to. That said, you can also install it outdoors if you want to. 

Beny has robustly built chargers that satisfy the unique needs of different businesses and individuals who like to drive their favorite brand. This is a popular brand among EV owners, and they all are obtaining satisfactory results by using this charge to charge their vehicles. 

• JuiceBox Smart EV Charger: 

Another great choice on our list. The charger is available in three variants for you to choose from. One is the 32 amp, the other is the 40 amp, and the third is the 48 amp. Based on the performance of your vehicle, you can buy one. All the versions of the Juicebox charger are wi-fi enabled and also have level 2 charging stations. The charging stations are so powerful that they can easily charge every EV available on the market, including Tesla. 

The charger enables the users to use its mobile app named JuiceNet. This app enables the users to control several things that include notifications, control scheduling, energy metering, LED charging, and light indicators. You can also ask the app to remind you to charge your car if you follow a daily charging routine. The charger is also compatible with Alexa, Amazon Echo, and Google Homes, which will work on voice commands. 

• Siemens VersiCharge Home Charger: 

This particular charger is available in three models; Universal, Hardwire, and SmartGrid. Its Hardwire model is the most affordable out of the three available choices. The universal model is the best value offering of the company, and it works as a plug-and-play station and can be installed indoors or outdoors. The smart grid is the last option and is more like the universal model. This one is a wi-fi-connected charger, and so you can use an app in your smartphone to control the charger from a remote location. 

This charger has flexible controls, and the best part about it is that it comes with a three-year warranty for the users. 

• Pulser Plus Level 2 EV Charger: 

If you have been looking for a charger with a compact design because you don’t like those bulky chargers that are hanging from your garage wall, this charger has got your back. This one offers a power of up to 40 amp l, which means the charger has the capability of charging your EV up to around seven times faster. The charger has a 25-foot charging cable which makes it easy for you to charge your vehicle from the charging station.  

This charger can also be controlled with the help of an app known as myWallbox, and you can easily connect your charger to smart devices. The app allows the users to carry out several functions, which makes their tasks easy. You can also choose to connect more than one of these chargers to the same electric circuit. All of this is possible because of the built-in smart power management integrated into the charger. 

Conclusion

When it comes to buying a plug-and-play charger for your electric vehicle, there are a few critical things that you should know. Even if you choose to buy a home charger, they are not inexpensive either; however, they are for sure worth the investment you will make. Having a home charger is of utmost ease and convenience. The best part about it is that you can charge your vehicle at any point in time.