AC or DC charging? How do you make the choice?
There are two ways of charging electric cars: Alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC). In terms of charging infrastructure we also talk about regular chargers and fast chargers respectively.
AC chargers can be found along the road, in car parks and in people's homes. They use the built-in charger in your electric car. This built-in converter converts AC power to DC power. Why is this necessary? Power coming from the grid is always AC, while a battery can only store DC power. Depending on your car and the capacity of the charging station, a regular charging station charges at 7 to 22kW. This is currently still the most common charging method for electric vehicles.
With DC chargers, the internal charger in your electric car is bypassed and the charging station has a direct connection to your battery. This allows you to store much more power in your car in a shorter time.
You can currently find these fast charging stations mainly along motorways and in public places. For a fast charger at your home, you need a substantial connection (at least 3x63A) to achieve a decent charging capacity. That is why DC charging is only exceptionally finding its way into home charging for the time being. For businesses, though, fast charge posts are often already the smartest choice. After all, using a fast charging station means saving time compared to a regular charging station. 10 minutes of charging for 50km of range is often enough to reach your destination.
So technically, the difference between AC charging and DC charging is the location where the AC power is converted to DC power. In the fast charging station or in the car itself. But how do you make choices for your charging project?
Your employees probably charge their electric car every day at home at their individual charging station. So here, a regular, or AC charging station will probably suffice because there is usually enough time to fully charge the car again. In addition, you also want to provide the option of charging at the office. Possibly not only for your staff, but also for your customers. Here you should consider for your specific company, staff and customer base whether fast charging stations are worth the small extra investment.
Our advice in summary, AC charging stations at your employees' homes and AC or DC charging stations at your company site. Both are available through APK Group as wall-mounted or freestanding models.
Is your company also about to make a commitment to a greener future, but still has questions about charging infrastructure? Would you like professional advice from an experienced facilitator? Then you have come to the right place.
Belgium: You can reach us by mailing to laadpalen@apkgroup.eu or by calling +32 50 313 857
Netherlands: You can reach us by mail at newenergy@apkgroup.eu or call +31 6 82275168