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As electric mobility grows in demand, smart EV chargers and smart charging are simultaneously receiving preference. You must have noticed those public or home EV chargers out there, but it’s always a mystery to understand where smartness comes into play. It's evident that these chargers will not interact with users in a robotic voice and give them witty answers. So, what exactly are the benefits of smart EV chargers, and should you consider purchasing one?
What differentiates a smart EV charger from conventional EV chargers becomes rapidly clear when you check their respective features. Smart charging technology represents the groundbreaking advancements in EV charging space, with the EV chargers acting as the creme-de-la-creme. The benefits of smart EV chargers go beyond simple convenience, as they focus on important aspects like cost-savings, load balancing, integrating new technologies like V2G and streamlining the charging process methodically. Let’s go into everything about smart EV charging, and the benefits of smart EV chargers.
What is a smart EV charger?
In the most basic sense, a smart EV charger is charging equipment integrated with smart features and functionality. These chargers are highly advanced and capable of communicating with the charger, the car, and the electricity grid. One of the highlighting benefits of smart charging is that in this process, the smart EV charger integrates connectivity features through Wi-Fi or 4G/5G connections.
Since smart EV chargers are capable of communicating with end users, along with the grid and the car through data, it helps to transfer critical information like charging status, completion time or any difficulties. This aspect also integrates a digital outlook through smartphone applications, where users are able to access charging-related data conveniently. Through this application, users are also able to remotely control and monitor the smart EV charging process, along with troubleshooting any issues. Furthermore, smart EV chargers streamline EV charging by enhancing cost-savings, energy savings and many other relevant features. Coupled with load balancing features, smart EV chargers can adjust power drawing, directly leading to reducing the chance of a grid overload.
The emergence of smart EV chargers closely aligns with integrating clean, renewable energy into the EV charging mix. They also integrate modern advanced technologies like bidirectional charging, while using the EV as an energy storage system for residential purposes. At Exicom, we recently launched Spin Pro, our smartest charger yet for home EV charging. Furthermore, our advanced Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) integrated Harmony DC chargers are revolutionizing clean energy integration in India’s public EV charging infrastructure, offering smart solutions seamlessly. Assisted by our in-house software, Exicom’s Harmony Connect application also helps users with a futuristic outlook on their EV charging, helping them to avail all the benefits of smart EV chargers.
Advantages of using smart EV chargers
The benefits of smart EV chargers are significantly more than using a conventional charging solution. Let’s talk about that in detail below for your convenience:
Cost-Savings
Smart EV chargers offer considerably cheaper solutions for EV users. To begin with, smart charging is capable of identifying and choosing off hours where utility costs are the lowest, helping users with a reduced cost for every kilometre of travelling. Additionally, the smart EV chargers can integrate clean energy like solar in EV charging, maximising emission-free mobility and most importantly, reducing energy costs since renewable energies are essentially free. Exicom’s BESS-equipped Harmony DC chargers represent this aspect perfectly, helping users not only reduce their carbon footprint but also their pocket pinches.
Convenience
The extensive feature-rich aspect of smart EV chargers helps users with enhanced convenience. With remote control and monitoring abilities through connectivity features, users can check the status of their EV charging, and completion time, and troubleshoot any issues and other aspects on their smartphones through an application. They also help to schedule charging time, so users can just leave their charging cables plugged in, not concerning themselves with switching it on manually. Exicom’s Harmony Connect smartphone application helps users with this, enhancing convenience by multifolds.
Safety
One of the highlights of smart EV chargers is their enhanced safety offering. They are capable of measuring the safety of electrical connections before the charging process begins, offering a more stable and safe outlook for EV charging. Furthermore, the load management aspect of them safeguards the vehicles and users from grid overloads.
Environmentally Safe
As smart EV charging is capable of integrating renewable energy, they have an active role in reducing carbon emissions by switching between grid and clean energy. This maximises the scope of establishing green mobility, while also taking the load off the grid.
Should you consider one?
This is no longer a question of whether it is required. Considering purchasing a smart EV charger is similar to asking whether an individual requires a smartphone in 2025. Also, many countries like the United Kingdom are mandating the sale of smart chargers only and this could become the status in other countries soon. While smart chargers are somewhat more expensive than Level 2 chargers, they also come equipped with additional features that make them value for money. Furthermore, smart EV charging helps to reduce charging costs significantly in the long term, providing users with a more affordable outlook for charging solutions.
At Exicom, we are committed to helping users integrate the advanced solutions of smart EV chargers. From our Spin chargers to BESS-equipped Harmony DC chargers, we are dedicated to helping our users integrate the latest aspects of smart EV charging, and we recommend this transition to establish Green Mobility as a benchmark for the future.
