Smart EV Charging: Widely-Applied Dynamic Load Balancing

As the world shifts towards electric mobility, more and more people are discovering the benefits of electric driving and the convenience of charging while parked. Over half of electric vehicle owners opt for private EV chargers. However, alongside the cost-effectiveness and convenience, users must consider the actual grid load and energy management. Common household EV chargers typically have a power rating ranging from 7.4 kW to 22 kW, while other home appliances like ovens operate at around 2 kW and microwaves at just 1 kW. This highlights that EV chargers are high-energy devices and, if mismanaged, can put significant strain on the power grid. In this case, Dynamic Load Balancing (DLB) is the perfect solution.

How does Dynamic Load Balancing work?

Dynamic Load Balancing for EV charging is an advanced intelligent charging feature that continuously monitors changes in energy consumption and automatically allocates available capacity to different devices. It is widely applied in residential scenarios where Dynamic Load Balancing EV charger can dynamically adjust the charging power based on the available capacity on the household circuit. For instance, when household appliances like washing machines, dryers, microwaves, and one or more chargers are simultaneously operational, DLB may decide to reduce or temporarily halt the car’s charging power to free up grid capacity for other appliances. Once these devices cease operation, the charger will resume or increase the charging power.

In contrast to DLB, there’s Static Load Balancing (SLB), which uses fixed, unchanging power distribution and doesn’t account for variations in the power usage of non-electric vehicles or multiple electric vehicles. In other words, regardless of how much power is consumed by other household appliances or chargers, the SLB charger will always operate at the rated power. This could potentially lead to grid overloads when other loads increase, resulting in system shutdowns and other safety hazards.

How does Dynamic Load Balancing benefit you?

Avoid Grid Overloads: When multiple chargers run simultaneously or when there are numerous household appliances in use (such as air conditioning, washing machines, microwaves), DLB automatically adjusts the charging power based on grid load to prevent overloads and incidents like circuit breakers tripping.

Save Costs: Installing chargers equipped with DLB allows for maximum charging power on the existing grid without concerns about grid overloads, saving significant costs associated with grid upgrades. Furthermore, chargers have much higher power ratings than most household appliances, and with DLB, they can automatically increase charging power during off-peak hours, saving on electricity costs.

Flexible Charging: Through dynamic load balancing, users can decide when to charge their electric vehicles without worrying about overloading, even during peak electricity demand. If users have two or more electric vehicles, they can control chargers and prioritize power allocation via an app, allowing some vehicles to charge faster than others.

Energy Management: Dynamic Load Balancing EV Chargers can help users monitor their home’s energy consumption, enabling them to track usage and adjust electric vehicle charging current according to their preferences and needs.

How do you know if you need Dynamic Load Balancing?

To determine whether you need the DLB function, you can compare the grid load and total power consumption of household appliances through the following methods:

1. Seek professional assistance from an electrician to measure the load.
2. Estimate it yourself roughly: Examine the nameplates of household appliances and calculate the total load, while also contacting the utility company to ascertain the total load capacity of the residence. Subtracting the household appliance load from the total load provides the current remaining capacity.

Once you know how much available capacity you have, you can decide whether DLB functionality is necessary. If adding the operating power of an electric vehicle charger will cause a grid overload, it is recommended to have the DLB.

Beny’s Intelligent Dynamic Load Balancing Solutions

After thoroughly understanding user requirements, Beny has developed different EV chargers with Dynamic Load Balancing, providing users with a flexible charging experience. Let’s have a deep understanding of Beny’s DLB solutions, which primarily include two modes:

Standard DLB Mode: DLB continuously monitors the available load on the circuit and adjusts the charging power to prevent system overload. Users can choose to enable DLB Extreme Mode for further power distribution optimization during peak usage. In this mode, if the charging current falls below 6 amperes, the charger will stop working, and it will automatically restart when the available current reaches 10 amperes.

PV DLB Mode: This mode is suitable for households with installed grid-connected photovoltaic systems. In addition to the functionality in the Standard DLB Mode, there are three additional modes to meet users’ personalized energy needs:

A. Pure PV Mode: The charger will solely use electricity generated by the photovoltaic system, saving on electricity costs.

B. Hybrid Mode: When the photovoltaic system generates sufficient electricity to support the load, the charger will use only solar energy. However, if the photovoltaic system is not producing sufficient power, grid electricity will supplement the load. Users can set a maximum current in advance on the app to control grid power input.

C. Full Speed Mode: This mode allows the charger to operate at full power.

*Based on these three modes, users can further enable the Automatic Night Full Speed Mode. Users can set a nighttime period based on their energy usage habits and local time zones. The charger will rapidly charge using grid electricity during this period to prevent non-charging when the photovoltaic system is not operational at night.

Among the numerous intelligent charging features for electric vehicle chargers, dynamic load balancing is undoubtedly a powerful function that ensures efficient and safe energy usage while saving both upfront and operational costs. To find the right DLB-enabled smart charging equipment, please visit: https://www.evbeny.com/