eco-drive/charging

The key to easy and enjoyable use of an Electric Vehicle is safe, reliable & convenient recharging. Charging Stations for EVs are, in many ways, the equivalent of filling station fuel pumps for conventional vehicles. Usually these will be used at the vehicle's normal 'home' or base, but may be in other locations.

Most EVs can be recharged using normal household mains electricity via a special connection. Any location that will regularly be used for recharging (e.g. at home or at work) should use a dedicated point specifically installed for the task.

EVs typically recharge normally in 3 to 8 hours, usually overnight on a cheaper "economy" tariff. Some vehicles can also recharge quickly from special 'rapid' charge units to extend their daily 'range', recovering as much as 80% of their charge in as little as 30 minutes!

The principal function for a Charging Station is that your vehicle should be charged as expected when you require it!

Connecting a large, mobile, metal-bodied 'appliance' to the mains, often outdoors in adverse weather, raises several issues which need to be addressed. Apart from physical safety issues, such as avoiding trip hazards from cables, there are a few electrical considerations. Unfortunately, the UK 'Wiring Regulations' that govern all electrical installations have not yet 'caught up' with Electric Vehicles and there is no recognition of the advanced types of safety devices which are necessary nor specific requirements for such installations.

warning

Electric Vehicles must not be connected directly to normal '13 Amp' sockets.

EV recharging is very safe, but the way in which some electricity supplies are connected could, under fault conditions elsewhere, result in a hazardous situation.

UK socket

adaptor Vehicles can sometimes be recharged from a standard electrical socket, using a safety adaptor, which means that there are opportunities for recharging away from 'home'. However, a standard socket limits the amount of power that can be transferred, gives long recharge times and is less reliable. For regular use a dedicated Charging Station offers the best solution.

We have developed our own 'regulations', after extensive research, based upon electrical regulations for similar situations, best engineering principles and our 9 years experience of recharging all types of EVs in a variety of situations across Europe. From this basis, we are continuously developing our recharging products and installation practices based on the principles of...

We design and install Charging Stations for all situations, from economical socket outlets for home use for scooters and micro-cars, to high-power stations for cars and vans, to robust, vandal-resistant installations with lighting and signage for public use in car parks and other similar locations. Our dedicated Charging Stations can offer: (subject to specification and vehicle)

Safety Reliability Convenience

increased through tailored design (site specific)
cable management
area lighting
automatic isolation when disconnecting vehicle
automatic testing of safety devices
supplementary personnel protection
surge protection
independent circuit from other appliances, sockets etc. reducing load
'load management' where an existing supply is near capacity already

best quality components from leading electrical suppliers
high immunity safety devices for reduced nuisance tripping
automatic operation
automatic restart after power-cuts
independent circuit from other appliances, sockets etc. for reduced interference
'load management' where an existing supply is near capacity already
'multiplexed' connections for charging more than one vehicle simultaneously

easy to use
ergonomic design
transfer of more power to lessen recharge times
automatic testing of safety devices
timer operation for economical recharging using cheap-rate 'off-peak' electricity
remote notification of charge completed, charge interrupted, charge level %, etc.
remote start/stop control of charging
energy monitoring
remote fault diagnosis

We also produce replacement portable charging cables for production EVs to custom lengths with a variety of connectors such as the 'Maréchal' connector used on most production EV models. These are PAT tested before dispatch.