Guide to EV Charging Station Maintenance

• Posted By TelioEV
• On August 1st, 2023
• Comments: no responses

Establishing a station is a big milestone in your journey but maintaining it and knowing everything about its maintenance is important to keep that as a happy milestone.

As the name indicates, EV charging stations are the stations where your EVs can be charged. 

But, still, the majority of stations that people are familiar with are the gas stations that we have seen around while growing up.

Let’s first understand how an EV charging station differs from a regular gas station. That difference will further help us understand how their maintenance needs to be different.

How are EV Charging Stations Different from Regular Gas Stations?

The biggest difference is that EV charging stations are equipped with chargers that run on electricity to charge electric vehicles, while regular gas stations have fuels like petrol, diesel, and gasoline.

The second difference is in the time taken for a full refill. 

Since we all have grown up visiting gas stations, we know that it takes only a few minutes to refill our vehicles.

An EV charger, on the other hand, takes hours to charge one single EV. Even the fastest Level 3 chargers take about 40 mins to an hour for a full refill. Not to mention the time that will be added up while waiting in the queues for their respective turns.

Also, there are many pumps at a gas station that contains different fuels and gases, which collectively makes it a station. 

An EV charging station, on the other hand, refers to a single charger setup. A charging station may, however, have several charging points.

If there is more than one charging station at a place, it is then considered an EV charging pool.

One charge pool is operated by one CPO only. 

If we talk about a place like a parking space of a mall where there is an availability of 10 charging stations and 2 of them are owned by CPO #1, the other 5 by CPO #2, and the remaining 3 by CPO #3, then it will be considered as a parking space with ten charging stations but three different charger pools.

Thus, when you look at the discovery apps, if a particular CPO is not registered, you may only see a few stations available at a location when there are clearly many.

So, it is important for the CPOs to register their availability n the discovery applications to be seen by a larger crowd of people.

Now we have understood the complications involved in EV charging setups.

And how they are different from regular gas stations in terms of physical interface as well as the time is taken for a refill. 

It is now time to understand that the installation of EV chargers at home is there to save us from the long queues and hassle of public charging stations.

Installing an EV Charger at Home

Let’s break the process into easier steps to simplify the process:

– First, hire a certified electrician who can guide you through the entire process from experience.

– Second, obtain the permits. Check if your housing system is safe and permitted to have a home charging setup or not.

– Since you are establishing a home charging unit, it is advisable to go with a charger from an established and well-known brand. 

Your electrician can help you with that.

– Lastly, set up the charging station safely, following all the measures to ensure technical safety.

Once the setup is done, cross-check the safety with the electrician. 

This is why hiring a certified professional is recommended, since they would help you in all the steps throughout.

How to Maintain the EV Charging Station?

Now that the charging station is up and running, it’s time to understand all the terminologies of its maintenance. 

Know all about the charging station setup and the parts involved.

Understand how the climate, temperature, and frequency of usage can affect the components of the charging unit.

Make sure to keep the exterior clean by wiping it with a damp cloth. All the accessible parts should be checked from time to time.

In case of malfunctioning, consult a  technician and get the malfunctioning component serviced as soon as possible.

Benefits of Maintaining an EV Charging Station

Maintenance of an EV charging station is just like maintenance of any other thing that you own. 

Maintenance makes things last longer and ensures that they are being used to the fullest of their potential. 

Maintaining an EV charger properly is further necessary for ensuring safety.

Thus, being updated with the maintenance tips and implementing them is the first step to a healthy and working charging station.