Guidelines for choosing the suitable power of electric vehicle charging stations for apartments, office buildings, parking lots, and highway rest stops.
Choosing the correct power of electric vehicle charging stations is a crucial step that determines whether your station serves effectively or not. A charging station that is too weak will cause cars to wait for a long time, while a station that is too powerful compared to the demand will waste investment capital. The general principle is that the power of the charging station should match the time cars usually stop at that point. This article goes through each typical type of location.
The core principle - parking time determines power
The less time cars stop, the higher the power needed to fill up enough energy in a short time. Conversely, where cars park for a long time, a medium or low-power charging station is sufficient, as cars have many hours to charge. Remembering this principle helps you avoid both mistakes of over-investing and under-investing.
Apartment buildings and residential areas
In apartment buildings, cars are often parked overnight for many hours. This is an ideal scenario for medium-power AC charging stations, for example, in the common range from 7kW to 22kW. Residents can charge their cars in the evening and they will be ready in the morning, without needing high-power charging stations that cost more and put a lot of pressure on the building's electrical grid.
Office buildings
Employees often leave their cars at the office all day, so office buildings are also suitable for medium-power AC or DC charging stations. If the parking lot has a high turnover rate during peak hours or serves transient customers, you can supplement with a few higher-power charging stations to meet the demand for fast charging.
Public parking lots and shopping centers
In public parking lots or shopping centers, the stopping time of vehicles is very diverse, from a few dozen minutes for shopping to several hours. A reasonable approach is to combine multiple power levels, including fast DC charging stations for short-stopping customers and medium-power stations for long-stopping customers, to serve different groups of needs.
Highway rest stops and service stations
This is where the highest power is needed. Long-distance drivers only want to stop briefly to replenish energy and then continue driving, so high-power fast DC charging stations are mandatory. Along National Highway 1 and inter-provincial routes, high-power stations help reduce waiting time and increase the number of vehicles served, a crucial factor for the effectiveness of roadside stations.
Flexible combination based on reality
The EVsafe electric vehicle charging station system offers a range of DC power from 30kW to 360kW, along with AC options, so a single station can coordinate multiple types of stations according to its unique characteristics. The most reliable way to choose the right one is still to survey the actual traffic and parking behavior at the location, rather than applying a rigid formula to every place.
EVsafe accompanies property owners and drivers in the deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and National Highway 1. If you have a suitable location or want to learn about the cooperative investment model with revenue sharing, buying or borrowing stations with 0% interest loan support from financial partners, please contact EVsafe for a survey and consultation. You can also view the EVsafe charging station map to find the nearest charging point and experience the service before making a decision.
