an image showing three ev charge points on a street in the UK

Meeting the demands of EV charging

Categories: T&I  Traders and Installers 

Why smart chargers are helping to meet EV charging demands

06/12/2024 - 04:11 PM

The demand for greener solutions has raised the popularity of electric vehicles (EVs), but how do you manage the electrical grid capacity to avoid overloading? Smart chargers can help address this concern by optimising energy usage, which helps network operators balance the grid demand.

Smart chargers can provide information to help manage the load on the grid via the internet, which means operators can monitor and control the amount of electricity drawn to charge the electric vehicle in real-time to prevent overloading the grid. These devices are also able to adapt the power delivered based on the overall demand on the network. This is crucial as the biggest concern facing electricity networks is ensuring that the electrical grid can cope with the increased demand to accommodate more EV chargers.

Although motorists can charge their EVs at car parks, supermarkets, service stations etc, most of the charging is still expected to occur at home. As a result, smart chargers have become a regulatory focus. Since June 2022, all EV charging points sold and installed for residential properties must comply with The Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021. This is to ensure EV charge points feature smart functionalities that allow them to charge off peak or when renewable or clean energy is available. 

Common home chargers tend to be fitted with a single-phase 7kW unit, which is usually sufficient for home charging a single vehicle. Public charging points, commercial fleets and business typically use three-phase 22 kW chargers to accommodate higher energy demands of multiple EVs all charging in a short time. 

Ongoing challenges

Although the adoption of smart EV charging is helping to meet the current demands, some challenges remain. Firstly, there may be difficulties installing a personal charging point for those living in apartment blocks or those living in areas without a dedicated parking space, making it impractical. 

Another issue is that if an older property has an older electrical installation, then it may only have a 60 amp main fuse on the property, which will need to be upgraded to 100 amps before a charge point is installed. This is to prevent overloading. For example, if a 7kW electric charge point draws its full 32A current, and other appliances are on such as the kettle, tumble dryer, washing machine etc, then it may exceed 60 amps and blow the main fuse. 

Even if these appliances are not used overnight, during peak demand, it is possible to exceed 60 amps. However, it is not just a case of upgrading the main fuse because the rest of the electrical wiring system needs to be safe and reliable with this increase in amps. In the worst-case scenario, the network operator, may need to upgrade the power distribution network back to the local substation, and then a property with a 60 amp fuse may need significant rewiring.

Smarter charging with PRY EV 

To help meet the requirements of smart EV charging, Prysmian has designed PRY EV, a power and signal cable that connects the consumer unit to the electric vehicle charging point. Rather than having two separate cables to do two different jobs, PRY EV provides power and signal connectivity in a single cable, which allows for faster, tidier and easier installation. 

PRY EV is designed for wiring EV charge points in domestic and residential properties. Commonly, a pair of cores from the data cable are connected to the current transformer attached to the incoming power supply cable. The data cable monitors how much current is being supplied to the house and will send a signal to the charge point. If the demand supply is too high, the charge point reduces the current drawn by the electric vehicle. 

The power and signal cables in PRY EV are rated to the same nominal voltage, which means the 600 V rated data cable can be installed in the same containment as the power cable. 

While challenges remain, smart EV chargers play a vital role in balancing demands on the electrical grid and supporting the shift to EVs. Reliable cable solutions such as Prysmian PRY EV cable simplifies installation and helps optimise our energy networks.

Learn more about PRY EV