Charging station: public and private area of use

How to choose a charging station

As you approach the choice of a charging station, it is first of all important to define the field of use, which can be distinguished in two main categories:

Charging station for a private / semipublic use

They are usually applied among homes, garages, company and public parkings managed by individuals as well as shopping centers and hotels. They can have free or controlled access, through a simple enabling with the key or App. These systems’ power are typically between 3,7 and 22kW and they do not possess specific vandal-resistant features.

Charging station for public use

Charging stations for public use are generally installed in public areas, for example public parkings, airports and train stations. In order to grant a high level of continuity in its service, it must be physically robust both against accidental impacts (vehicles) and infraction trails (break-in).

They can also be divided in two groups: charging station with standard power (alternated current up to 22kW) and the ones with high power (both alternate and direct current).

The most appropriate and farsighted choice

The available power on site and ways to access the charging station are critical factors in order to make a correct choice of the charging infrastructure. This is exactly the reason why it is important to have a correct solution for each circumstance, from a hotel to a restaurant, passing through a public parking.

Public charging stations are usually controlled and managed through some RFID cards and sometimes, when there is a large number of expected users, also with back-end supervision systems, that can even manage terms of payment for the service. Additionally, products can be personalized with logo and colors of purchasers, especially in the case of companies that give importance to their coordinated image or in the case of public installations.

It is the professional’s responsibility to provide advice

Even if the charging station choice involves many parties, it is mainly the professional’s responsibility to advice about all conditions in order to make the most farsighted choice, which should be designated taking into consideration future implementations as well as a 10-years working life.

The impact resistance of a device

The impact resistance of a device is expressed, according to the IEC62262 standard, with an “IK” code followed by two numbers between 00 and 10.

The value 10 expresses the maximum resistance, which guarantees protection in the case of a 20 joule energy impact. This data is extremely important for the right choice of a charging pole.