How to future proof your EV charger

One of the products most affected by the changes is the electric car charging systems (EV chargers and charging stations). Companies are developing EV chargers and charging stations with new technologies that improve charging time and the ease of use. Some of these changes render the earlier charging systems obsolete as they are not compatible with the latest charging stations or the electric cars themselves. If you are planning to buy an EV charger or install a charging station at home, follow the below tips to ensure that they are future proof.

Choosing a modular charger like the EVBox Elvi is one way of ensuring that the system will serve you for a long time. A modular charging system is designed to allow upgrading or replacing specific parts instead of throwing the whole system away. With a modular charger, you can upgrade to a higher kW output or replace some of its elements whenever there is a need.

Having a charging point that can handle up to 7kW, even if you are whilst connected to a single-phase power supply, means that you may be required to change the entire unit if/when you get a three-phase power supply in the future. A charging point with a 22kW capability can support 3.7kW, 7kW, 11kW and 22kW charging whilst a charging point with a lower capability cannot handle higher power supplies.

Currently, most homes in the UK are under the single-phase power supply, but that may change in the future. The increasing demand for faster-charging points may force power supply companies to make three-phase power supply a standard in the future. If you bought a charge point with 22kW capability, even when you cannot use it to full capacity, you will not need to change it when you upgrade to a higher capacity power supply.

Smart charging is a system that allows an electric vehicle, the charger and the charging point to share data connection. Through the communication, the owner of the charging point can measure and manage their energy usage remotely. The communication between the car and the charger also promotes new features like automatic unplugging when fully charged.

Smart charging systems are future proof as it is easy to remove old programming features and add new features to existing charging systems. Smart charger manufacturers can, therefore, turn future changes in charging needs into new features that can be added to the smart systems. This means that people using the older versions will simply add the new features and continue using their old charging stations.

You can also future proof your EV charger by ensuring that the product you purchase is made from strong and durable materials. Unlike poor quality chargers with a short product lifecycle, high-quality products will serve you for longer.

Innovative brands will always be ahead of others in terms of technology. When you buy from an innovative company, the product will have the latest technology that will serve you for long before it becomes obsolete. These companies can also come up with innovative ways of improving their old systems to be compatible with the latest technology.

Most people choose an AC charger because it is the most common type of charging in homes and outlets. DC charging, on the other hand, is rare, but it is the fastest charging system. You can ensure that your EV charger is future proof by ensuring that it supports both AC and DC.

CSS is one of the universal EV chargers as it combines single-phase AC, three-phase AC and DC charging with an easy-to-use system. Another benefit of CSS chargers is that they are compatible with most vehicles produced in Europe and America.

EV chargers and charging spots are an investment with a relatively large initial capital expenditure. The only way you can ensure that you will get a long time service from your EV charger is by ensuring that it is future proof. The EV technology and user preferences are changing fast, and these changes must have some casualties. Follow the above tips to avoid purchasing an EV charger or a charging station that will become obsolete within a short time.