Plug in, fuel up: here's how EV charging stations work

But how does an electric toothbrush do the same thing? Does it accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in a two-ton vehicle completely silently? Here's how electric vehicle charging stations work and how Energy5 can help you run them for your business.

Power Structure.

Electric car technology has been around since the 180s, and the key elements of those first electric cars aren't much different than what we have today. Battery fuel cells provided the energy to spin the wheels and propel the car forward, and many early electric cars could be powered by the same electric outlets that supplied frontier homes with certain lights and appliances.

It may be hard to imagine a battery-powered car when horse-drawn carriages were the main source of road travel, but the truth is that the first innovative cars experimented with all kinds of drive systems, from pedal, steam, steam, and even batteries. Liquid fuel. In many ways, EVs were the first to fight for mass production because they didn't need huge water tanks or heating systems to produce steam, they didn't emit smoke or make explosive noise like, say, gasoline engines.

The age of pit stops

However, electric cars lost the battle due to a number of factors. The discovery of huge oil deposits in areas like Texas made gasoline cheaper and more affordable than ever before, and improved road and highway infrastructure allowed drivers to leave their neighborhoods for the open road. Gas stations could be created almost anywhere, but outside the big cities, electricity remained rare. Gasoline won the checkered flag, but the popularity of electric cars declined for most of the 20th century.

Fast as lightning.

How do charging stations for electric cars work today? Basically, not much has changed. The plug is plugged into the charging port of the car, and the other end is plugged into an outlet - much like powering lights and electrical appliances at home. Of course, decades of modern technology and engineering have made the process easier and much more efficient.

Depending on the power they deliver, there are three basic types of chargers Level 1 chargers use the same standard 120-volt outlets found in homes and private garages, and can extend the range up to 5 mph at the end of each work day. Level 2 chargers provide a 20 mph charging range, but require additional equipment to work with the most powerful 240-volt household outlets and 208-volt commercial outlets, such as those in buildings and office complexes.

However, the DC Politist can provide electric vehicles with 80 miles of charging in 20 minutes. Since this is a significant improvement over other tiers, it's no surprise that these dedicated stations use the more powerful 480V AC inputs, applying advanced technology and equipment to both the charging station and the vehicle itself. These are the kind of electric car charging stations found along major highways and highways, such as Interstate 5 in California.

Batteries on.

Electric car charging stations run on electricity from various sources and transfer that energy to the vehicle. Depending on the make and model of the electric car, there are different standard plugs, matching car outlets, and types of batteries, but in general, electric cars use electricity stored in fuel cells to power the engine and spin the wheels naturally--like the old Victorian cars.

When electric cars are charged with electricity, the range depends on the characteristics of the car. More batteries can provide more power, but they create more weight. The engine needs extra power to overcome this problem. Fewer batteries can provide less range and more efficient operation, but the range can be much smaller, charging times are slower, and long trips are more difficult.

Electric Streets

Electric cars, infrastructure and technology are poised to support the proliferation of electric vehicles, which will come more than 100 years after the first presentations of electric cars, infrastructure and technology. Technological advances in battery efficiency and design mean that today's electric cars can travel hundreds of miles on a single charge. A growing network of charging stations across the country, as gas stations, workshops, retail centers and governments invest in infrastructure, will allow electric vehicles to expand their range even further. 18 million electric vehicles over 350 models are expected to be on the road by 2030. As the number of electric cars exceeds 10 million, over the next decade we will see even more electric cars charging in even more places.

Managing Energy Consumption

Due to the highest demand for charging, companies that want to offer their customers different charging options will have to invest in hardware and software. With different levels of charging and dozens of charging station manufacturers, meeting the needs of consumers in just a few years can be a challenge. That's where Energy5 comes into play. Our charging solution provides customers with a complete set of tools to design, develop, test, manage and maintain charging stations.

Energy5 is dedicated to helping apartment buildings rotate residents, providing shippers with a scalable solution for cab and bus fleets, and shopping centers providing convenient services to their customers. If a customer or clients need troubleshooting or are still unclear about how Energy5 works, Energy5 is available 24 hours a day to answer questions.