Calibration of charging stations builds confidence

The acceptance of 'electric driving' depends on many factors, such as the availability and reliability of charging stations. As far as the latter is concerned, consumers must be confident that charging stations actually deliver the specified power and are safe to use. This increases the acceptance rate considerably. Trescal supports this with calibration and inspection services to check and guarantee reliability and accuracy. Both for AC and DC charging poles.

As the number of electric vehicles increases, the charging infrastructure is also steadily growing. More and more charging stations are available in more and more places, which is strengthening the acceptance of electric transport in general. However: consumers must then be able to trust that the charging stations are reliable and safe to use. After all, who has the ability to make the correct assessment of whether a kWh on the screen is really a kWh in the battery?

Reliability through calibration

To ensure the reliable operation of charging stations, it is necessary to calibrate them periodically and accurately. Just as this is normal for industrial measuring instruments, which are calibrated and possibly recalibrated on a regular basis by an independent institution. In some cases laws and regulations require this, in other cases the company itself wishes to work as accurately and reliably as possible. Similarly, accurate measurement standards have been developed for charging stations with which the power level indicated by the charging station can be compared. When deviations fall outside the bandwidth, measures are taken and corrected. In this way, regular checks are made to ensure that the accuracy is still satisfactory. And should it expire too much, chances are that this will be noticed in time. That is, before the values fall outside the bandwidth.

Importance of an independent party

Kasper Pijs is sales manager and specialist Automotive Industry and EV Calibration Solutions at Trescal and knows, "We as Trescal have been around in the EV market for a while and speak to many different parties. One of the conclusions we can draw from the many conversations is the importance of having an independent party that can calibrate the charging stations and correct them if necessary. Only when this dependency is clear and proven will charging station users have the confidence that they will be supplied with the number of kWh they are paying for. The reverse is also true: unreliable charging stations will frustrate users, which lowers acceptance rates."

Because of Trescal's independence and, of course, its knowledge and experience in the field of charging station calibration (both DC and AC), Nedal, among others, enjoys working with it. This company is a supplier of charging stations including special designs such as the 'charging lamp': a charging unit integrated into a lamppost. This partnership allows Nedal to demonstrate that the performance of its charging stations has been validated by an independent and - not unimportantly - accredited party. Pijs: "Trescal is accredited in accordance with international standards and regulations, which means that the calibration, calibration and safety tests meet the relevant industry standards and regulations. Nedal can thus communicate in good conscience that it is selling a calibrated system that delivers the power it specifies."

Safety

Finally, Trescal also monitors the safety of charging stations. To do so, the company conducts periodic inspections and safety tests to determine whether safety complies with laws and standards. Calibrated advanced measuring equipment is used to identify, among other things, electrical safety, protection against overloading and possible defects. Pijs: "Unfortunately, no consistent laws and regulations are yet available for charging stations, but based on our knowledge and experience, we can easily determine for ourselves what is and what is not safe. To this end, we also work closely with our customers to make sure that the charging stations in question can be deployed safely and reliably in a specific environment. Let's hope that the laws and regulations are in place soon so that all parties involved in the chain conform to a high level of reliability and safety."