Choosing the right wall charger | Part I
Do You Need a Smart Wall Charger?
The wall charger category has expanded in the past few years to include smart versions, tethered options and load management technology.
OEM Audio Ltd offer their customers a range of EV Power wall chargers suited for the NZ driver. EV Power wall chargers offer a top charging rate of 32 Amps which allows charging at 40 km of range per hour of charging. Wall chargers are a safe and effective way of charging a range of EVs/PHEVs at home. We suggest that all customers consider a wall charger as they are better suited to people wanting to charge every day.
An informed customer is better able to make the right decision, and will be happier long term. So this series of articles aims to make purchasing from us easy. You can always call us 03 365 2666.
Most houses have single phase power supply of about 63 Amps, so let’s start there.
SINGLE PHASE WALL CHARGERS
Smart Wall Chargers Vs. Dumb Chargers
Technology has had a huge impact on our lives and sometimes it seems that every home appliance can be controlled by a smartphone app. All the smart wall chargers in the EV Power range connect to an app which is free to download on to your smartphone.
Do you really need a smart wall charger? If being able to analyse charging data, customise a charging timer or access solar power is your thing then the answer is yes!
The settings can be changed to suit you and your needs. Most of the EV Power wall chargers can be programmed to turn on at a certain time, or run for a certain length of time. Other wall chargers allow you to access power generated by solar panels and/or manage how the EV/PHEV uses the power available in the home when all the appliances are turned on – Dynamic Load Balancing (unless already set up as in the BCP non-smart wall charger).
If you like the idea of just plugging in and walking in for dinner then a simple ‘non-smart’ or ‘dumb’ wall charger is the one for you.
Power Management
When it comes to EVs/PHEVs there is now a wider range of battery sizes to choose from. These electric thirsty vehicles will pull 32 Amps from your domestic supply if it is available. When the average household is supplied with 63 Amps, charging an EV may blow the fuse board. With Dynamic Load Balancing (also known as ‘Load Management’ or ‘Power Balancing’) your household appliances get priority and the EV/PHEV will only charge at the Amps left. For example, when the dinner is cooking, the spa pool is on and the kids are on desktop PCs the quantity of power used goes up. Your EV charges more slowly until everyone goes to bed and the amount of available power increases. You don’t need to worry about the fuses or the charge rate.
With a Smart Wall Charger you can see all of the charging information and settings on your phone. Download the Z-Box app and customise settings. For example, you can
- toggle on/off ‘RFID tag access is compulsory’
- toggle on/off ‘Plug and Go’
- view kW going to you car as determined by the DLB feature
- download firmware updates
Power management is available in some of the EV Power non-smart wall chargers.
Need more information? Watch this video on YouTube where we give you a brief overview of the Z-Box App for EV Power BCP Wall Chargers.