As your HOA considers adding a community EV charging station, you’ll encounter new terminology with which you might not be familiar. Here’s a brief explanation of 6 terms you’ll certainly need to know as you plan your EV charging station:
$/kWh – Dollars per kilowatt hour. All electric utilities charge customers based on kilowatt hour. The HOA board can add on to this fee to generate profit from the charging station.
Activation Fee – A small fee – often $1 – paid to the vendor each time a user connects to c charger.
Charging Levels – There are basically 3 charging levels: Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 (also known as Direct Current Fast Chargers or DCFC) rated based on the speed of charging and number of range miles added per hour of charge
Dwell Time – The amount of time an EV is parked at a charging station. It includes the time the vehicle is attached to the charger and is actively charging as well as the time the vehicle is parked in the spot after the battery is fully charged. Managing dwell time is important for optimizing use of charging stations.
Load Sizing – Determines the appropriate amount of electrical capacity needed to support the charging of vehicles at the entire charging station. Factors such as number of chargers, number of ports, charger type, power rating, and simultaneous charging all affect load sizing. Proper load sizing means the electrical system can safely, efficiently and reliably handle the demand from EV chargers without overloading the system.
Uptime – The amount of time a charging station is operational, available for drivers to use. A high uptime percentage means the charging station is rarely out of service. Uptime is usually measured as a percentage of time a station is functioning properly over a certain period (a week or a month, for example).