The global market for electric mobility continues its unstoppable growth, both in terms of registrations of hybrid and full-electric vehicles – and future-minded LGAs are investing in electric charging infrastructure solutions that support electric vehicle growth across both council fleets and the broader public.
Although Australia is lagging behind the rest of the developed world in its uptake of electric vehicles (EVs), a recent report from the Electric Vehicle Council (EVC) has shown that the adoption of EVs in Australia is starting to grow, and perceptions of EVs versus Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles are changing in a positive direction.
These insights were further illustrated by the EVC’s recent findings that EVs represented a 2.39 per cent share of vehicles sold in 2021, compared to 0.78 per cent in 2020.
One area needed to support this continued growth is ensuring a reliable electric vehicle charging network, whether at the home, office or out and about, to counter any “range anxiety”.
For the home, the market offers AC chargers for both single-phase and three-phase electricity connections. These chargers can come in a range of power ratings and features to suit the homeowner or residential complex needs and vehicles.
Public, commercial or industrial locations have more options for the configuration of AC chargers. In this space, you may want to offer free charging to entice people to the region or have a pay as you charge solution connected to a charger management network.
FIMER’s FLEXA AC Station is a perfect solution for on the street, or in a public or private car park in a shopping centre, office or industrial complex. These stations can charge two vehicles simultaneously, with up to 22kW per vehicle (up to 44kW).
However, DC fast chargers are the way to go for areas that might require faster charging, in regional or remote cities or along major roads. These chargers pump energy directly into the vehicle’s battery without first converting the energy from AC to DC. The charging times are much quicker, with fewer losses experienced.
For instance, FIMER’s ELECTRA DC charger is a modular charger available in power ratings from 60kW up to 150kW, offering both AC and DC charging up to three vehicles at one time. The charger will dynamically distribute the available power to the vehicles, depending on the number of vehicles being charged and the number of chargers installed at the same site.
DC Fast Chargers will usually be a pay-to-charge solution as they require more energy. The cost of this additional energy can be offset if the DC Fast Chargers are connected to a community microgrid that uses energy from the grid as well as a renewable energy source that may include batteries.
FIMER is the fourth largest solar manufacturer globally and still manufactures string inverters and electric vehicles in its two manufacturing facilities in Italy. Since 2017, it has been manufacturing electric vehicle chargers, and to date, has over 55,000 units installed around the world.
This is a sponsored editorial brought to you by FIMER, to learn more about FIMER’s charging solutions visit fimer.com/charging-electric-vehicles
