Greener, quieter and more manageable: the electric car is enjoying growing success in France. But the question of charging it arises: why should you equip yourself with a charging station? How do you optimize charging to save money and energy? Qovoltis answers your questions.
What is a charging station? When should you use it?
A charging station is equipment that allows you to charge your electric car. It includes various components, including a socket base, an electric meter, a control module, an RFID badge reader and possibly a QR Code scanner. Compact in size, it can be fixed to the wall, or to the ground on a base.
The Operation of the charging station is simple: it will send energy to the charger embedded in your electric car. The charger then transfers this energy to the battery which — like gasoline-powered cars — powers the various components of your vehicle.
Unlike a simple household outlet, the charging station integrates a protective device and guarantees your safety as well as that of your electrical installation and your car. In addition, it is the guarantee of real charging comfort, faster and safer. The terminal can be installed:
- directly at home, in your garage or outside;
- on a company car park;
- co-ownership;
- at service stations and highway areas.
How do you connect your charging station?
The installation of a charging station requires an electrical diagnosis and the presence of an earth outlet on your electrical installation. In general, the company supplying the charging station takes care of its installation. Our advice: turn to a IRVE qualified professional (Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure). You thus have the assurance of a secure installation, in compliance with standards, and eligible for aid. Attention: this is a legal requirement for terminals with a power greater than 3.7 kW.
How do you charge your electric car with a charging station?
Once your charging station is installed, you can charge your electric car with a charging cable. The latter is generally supplied with your vehicle, but may not be adapted to your terminal. In this case, do not hesitate to invest in a suitable cable. However, today there is a standard (plug type 2) so you should not encounter any problems.
How to optimize the charging of your electric car? Our advice
The Qovoltis charging station is smart and connected. Connected, thanks to a mobile application that allows remote charging to be started, and intelligent, because it makes it possible to optimize charging according to the vehicle's energy needs.
Electric control
Thanks to the Qovoltis mobile application and smart charging functionalities — Smart Charging — it is possible to control your charging remotely, at any time of the day. You can thus select the charging parameters according to your preferences, modulate the charging power, or stop a recharge in progress. In order to have a better overview of your consumption, you can also consult your charging history and statistics as well as your bills.
Optimizing charging
The Qovoltis terminal offers two charging methods:
- Fast for those in a hurry, with a recharge started immediately at the highest power available;
- optimized for those who have more time. You choose when your car should be charged, and how much electricity you want. Then, the recharge is controlled automatically in order to optimize its price.
Full/off-peak hours
To optimize your electricity cost, you can choose between fast or optimized charging, depending on the peak and off-peak rates for example. How? Simply by controlling the recharge from the application so that it can be recharged during off-peak hours. They generally take place from 22:00 to 06:00 in the morning, depending on your region and city. In the end: great savings of money in the end.
For individuals, condominiums, businesses, public car parks... Qovoltis offers charging stations for electric vehicles capable of adapting their power in real time to the power available on the electrical installation, as well as advantageous pricing per kWh consumed. As beautiful as they are efficient, the terminals offer unique possibilities for optimizing and managing charging via a mobile application. To discover our charging services contact us on qovoltis.com
Sources: Classic rallies, Ekwateur, EDF, Engie, Quebec Electric Terminals.
