Smart Home charging critical as electric car investment continues
ELECTRIC vehicle charging is set to become easier and fairer as the Government steps in to ban “dumb” chargers, according to experts.
Smart EV charging technology ‘critical’ for drivers as electric car investment continues – Express – August 2021
Dumb chargers
“Dumb chargers” are basic charging models that come in the form of a non-networked box with a plug, and cannot be connected to the cloud, nor be managed remotely.
They also don’t monitor usage, unlike a smart charger which can be programmed to have scheduling features and has automatic updates to continually improve the experience.
Battery prices continue to fall
As battery prices continue to fall, and EV batteries have a larger capacity, it places a great emphasis on smart charging technology.
Current batteries are lasting longer, with the average battery coverage being eight years for 100,000 miles.
Smart charging
True smart charging involves regular and reliable communication between the charger and the car.
Understanding the battery capacity and what’s known as the ‘state-of-charge’ can help unlock the secrets of battery health. Smart charging is a simple way for consumers to stay in control and protect their battery’s health.
It also helps to balance the National Grid by taking electricity at the most effective times, which is also happily the cheapest hours for the consumer.
Taking care of the battery
“Taking care of the battery is one of the most important things that a smart charger can do for consumers, particularly given that the battery is a significant proportion of the overall price of an EV.
“By using smart charging, in addition to setting preferences to only charge the battery to 80 per cent of its capacity, consumers can maximise their battery health.
“Many drivers may not be aware that they could cause five times more damage to their battery, if they consistently charge it within the 80-100 per cent per KwH range, rather than the 50-80 per cent per kWh range.
