Serve More Drivers and Save on Electrical Costs with Power Management
Demand for charging infrastructure is increasing, but facilities managers may discover they have electrical capacity constraints that limit the number of charging stations they can install. Many workplaces also want to expand their charging infrastructure to accommodate more employees, without making substantial investments in electrical upgrades. And as EVs become more popular, more locations will need to accommodate larger numbers of EV drivers.
ChargePoint’s Power Management software allows charging site administrators to maximize the number of charging ports they can deploy, while ensuring EV drivers always get an adequate charge. ChargePoint® software intelligently manages available power so more charging stations can be installed without upgrading existing wiring, panels, transformers or power at a site. This can yield considerable cost savings while still providing drivers a great charging experience.
ChargePoint Power Management software is designed for use at places where drivers spend several hours, such as:
- Workplaces where cars tend to be parked all day,
- Fleet depots and multifamily residences where cars are parked overnight, or
- Long-term lots where cars can be parked for many days.
The software takes advantage of the fact that most cars only need to charge for a few hours but are usually parked for much longer, as well as the reality that not all charging ports at a location are always being used. Intelligently sharing power among vehicles enables installing more charging ports than the existing site electrical capacity allows, while smart algorithms ensure drivers get the charge they need, when they need it.
Additional Power Management features control ongoing electrical costs by avoiding utility demand charges, which can be the single largest component of electrical bills. Available power is intelligently redistributed among the vehicles when a configured power ceiling is reached (typically for a couple hours during the day when demand for power spikes).
The National Electrical Code added an Article (625.41) in 2014 that allows automated management of the load on EV charging stations (also known as electric vehicle supply equipment, or EVSE). ChargePoint stations are UL listed as Energy Management Equipment (UL 916), which installers can reference for electrical inspectors. ChargePoint solutions engineering teams will develop site specifications to share with electrical inspectors for approval after working with you and your electrical contractors to decide on the optimal configuration for your site.
Power Management has already helped many ChargePoint customers across a variety of businesses better serve more customers, employees and visitors with additional charging capacity, without infrastructure investment. To learn more about Power Management, check out our FAQ. To get started with Power Management, contact our solutions engineering team.
