Non-residential private car parks face a challenge to comply with the legislation that, from January 1, 2023, requires having a charging point for electric vehicles for every 40 spaces. The obligation contained in Royal Decree-Law 29/2021 affects large car parks in urban areas, shopping centers, hotels, restaurants or other leisure areas, but many of them are still in the planning phase for the new facilities.
The current regulations establish that a car park must have a charging point for every 40 spaces, but the administrations are already considering the possibility of adjusting the ratio to increase the number of chargers. This situation simply anticipates the future demands of drivers, who will need a greater number of charging stations as the presence of electric vehicles increases.
“Compliance with ‘muddling through’ regulations pushes parking managers to select and install solutions that, in the medium or long term, may prove inadequate or insufficient,” warns Henrik Bergman, regional director of Charge Amps in Spain and Portugal. “It is essential to assess different factors when selecting the charging points and the type of installation that will be carried out to guarantee their present and future efficiency.”
«Scalability is a key factor to take into account when carrying out a first installation. Selecting a solution that allows the number of charging points to be expanded easily and without major works or reconfigurations will allow us to comply with current legislation and anticipate possible changes and increased demand,” explains Henrik Bergman. «The configurations must be automatic and without limits regarding the number of units installed. This saves a lot of costs and time in the installation, operation, expansion, and maintenance phases.”
The technical aspects must also be assessed, focusing on the connection format of the charging station to the network and its energy use. Having a charging station with dynamic balancing through automatic phase rotation will guarantee optimal distribution of the available current, regardless of whether it is plug-in hybrid cars or 100% electric cars.
«Choosing a smart charging solution is a safe bet for the present and the future. In the same way, it is necessary to opt for solutions that guarantee their durability in indoor environments with accumulation of dust, and outdoors where the changing climate of Spain must be taken into account”.
different types of cargo
When talking about electric vehicle recharging, there are some concepts related to the types of chargers, connectors or charging times, which can create confusion, but it is much simpler than it seems when you become familiar with its use. For this Ramon Calderón, a Seat expert, explains in detail the ways to recharge the future.
“The charging of the battery of electric and hybrid vehicles depends mainly on two factors: the capacity of the car battery and the available charger power, and this influences the charging time ranges”, explains the person in charge of e-Mobility Institutional Relations at Seat.
The capacity of the battery is the amount of electrical energy that it is capable of storing, while the power is the amount of electrical energy that the charger can supply to the vehicle. «The user of an electrified car has at his disposal various charging modes: type 2 (slow charging), type 3 (semi-fast charging) and type 4 (super-fast or ultra-fast charging). Depending on the capacity of our car battery and the power of the charger and the connector cable, it will take us more or less time to charge it, “explains Calderón.
If we have a plug-in hybrid car or a small electric vehicle at home, we can leave the car charging overnight in the garage with a charge type 2 or slow charge. With this option, the vehicle is connected to the electrical network by means of an adapter that guarantees the safety of the recharge and that is equipped with a domestic plug, of the ones we have at home (Schuko type). In this mode, (for a power of 3.6 kW) a hybrid takes on average between 3 and 4 hours to charge from 0 to 100% of the battery, and an electric one, about 16 hours on average, depending on the power and the cable and battery capacity.
However, in the event that we have a 100% electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid, with a considerably high autonomy, the most convenient option is the type 3 charging mode, also known as semi-rapid. This charging mode requires a device or wall charging point, colloquially known as a Wallbox, which incorporates various protection systems necessary for the safety of the electrical installation and the vehicle.
“The use of mode 3, due to its safety, reliability and speed, is prevailing over mode 2 as charging powers and the capacity of electric vehicle batteries increase,” says Calderón. This mode allows us to work with higher powers at home, and in turn optimize charging time. A hybrid like the CUPRA Formentor could be charged in less than 3 hours and 100% electric in less than 10 hours on average.
Charge away from home
Once away from home, the charging points for public use that we will usually find will also be mode 3 or semi-fast, since it is mandatory that they be at least of this charging level. In mode 3, the connection of the electric or hybrid vehicle to the alternating current network is made through Mennekes connectors. Bearing in mind that the power of these public points is higher (around 11 kW), on average the charging time for a plug-in hybrid will be between 30 minutes and 1 hour, while for a 100% electric charge it from 0 to 100% could take us between 4 and 6 hours.
Mode 4 or super fast, indicated only for 100% electric vehicles with high autonomy, such as the CUPRA Born, allows us to recharge at least 70% of the battery in just over 30 minutes (for a charger power of 100 kW), just enough time to have a drink or do the weekly shopping, and 100%, approximately one hour. Charging in mode 4 is carried out in direct current, unlike the previous modes, which are carried out in alternating current, which allows for faster charging since the vehicle does not have to make conversions.
The most widely used standard connector for this type of recharging is the CCS. “These are chargers that, due to their high price and installation cost, have not been designed or recommended for domestic use and, together with mode 3, are the ones that the user will find in shopping centers, public roads or workplaces,” explains Ramon Calderón. Within mode 4 chargers there are also ultra-fast charging ones, specially designed for outdoor public use stations or charging stations, where we can recharge the vehicle during long journeys or situations in which we have very little time. With this mode, which can exceed 250 kW of power, an average 100% electric car would charge in less than 30 minutes.
It is important to note that the charger and the vehicle communicate continuously during charging so as not to exceed the admissible power of the battery. That is to say, a vehicle that admits a maximum of 125 kW of power even if it is charged in a 250 kW charger will never exceed the power of 125 kW. The same is true in reverse; Although the vehicle can be charged at 250 kW, if the charger is of lower power it will never exceed it.
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