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Return home1.1. Basic, smart, and rapid charge points
Explore basic, smart, and rapid EV charge points for different uses: simplicity, communication, and high-speed charging.
Charge points vary in their complexity and speed of charge delivered. At its most basic, a charge point is simply a socket into which you plug your battery electric vehicle (BEV) to recharge the battery.
Smart systems can be added to this to enable things such as managing charging via an app on your phone.
The speed of a charge point (its power rating in kW) can also be higher, providing a more rapid recharge time.
Types of chargepoints
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Basic charging is one of the most common ways to charge your electric vehicle (EV). The charging process is like any other device: you charge your EV by plugging into the socket. Some EV drivers plug into a charge point whenever they park to stay topped up.
A basic charger is often no more than a socket on a wall. It tends to be rated between 3.7kW and 7.4kW (AC). Basic chargers can be either tethered (meaning it is permanently connected to a charging cable) or untethered (meaning it allows different charging cables to be attached to the unit).
When you plug an EV into a basic charger, it will charge at the rated power output until it’s fully charged.
The benefit of a basic charge point is its simplicity and cost efficiency. However, as these chargers can’t communicate with a vehicle, you can’t:
- optimise charging times;
- monitor electricity consumption; or
- connect to a back-office system which can help manage the charging of multiple vehicles.
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Smart charging is a convenient way of charging your electric vehicle (EV) when the electricity demand is lower. This could be at night or when there is lots of renewable energy on the grid, for example.
A smart charger does all the things a basic charger can do but also allows for communication between the charge point and an app, back-office system, or other software. This allows you to:
- set charging times;
- monitor charge point availability (crucial in depot charging); and automate over-the-air (OTA) updates for the charge point’s software.
However, this additional capability comes at a cost: smart chargers are more expensive than basic chargers.
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Rapid devices supply high power alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) to charge an electric vehicle (EV) as fast as possible.
Rapid chargers are always smart and tend to be rated at 50kW or above. Depending on the unit, they can be either DC only or DC and AC.
Rapid chargers provide between 50 and 80 miles of range in 30-40 minutes, depending on the size and efficiency of the vehicle.
These are the most expensive units and will often require an electricity supply upgrade due to the power they draw. If installing multiple rapid chargers, you might even need a new substation. A large connection like this usually incurs monthly standing capacity charges.
In depots, rapid chargers will only be used for vehicles which have minimal downtime and need to be charged quickly before going back out on the road.
Installing rapid chargers may also significantly limit the capacity to install other chargers. They should only be installed if it’s essential, as they will add substantial cost to any charge point installation project.
