When it comes to EV chargers, it’s not a question of if something will go wrong, but when.
Like all heavily used electrical equipment, EV chargers require maintenance from time to time. Physical wear and tear and component failure are the most common problems that arise.
A broken EV charger can cause problems, especially if you run a busy EV fleet. EV charger downtime can cause both a loss of revenue and reputation.
It’s important to know what can go wrong, so you can act before system failure occurs. Then, you can allocate a budget to assess and maintain your EV charger operations properly.
In this article, we’ll focus on Level 3 chargers. We’ll look at ways to identify problems before they occur and how to carry out predictive maintenance on your EV chargers.
A brief description of Level 3 chargers
Level 3 chargers are also known as DC fast chargers. In other words, they convert AC power to DC power, which enables rapid charging of electric vehicles.
For comparison purposes, on average:
- Level 1 chargers (AC) take between 11 and 20 hours to deliver a full charge
- Level 2 chargers (AC) take between 4 to 10 hours
- Level 3 chargers (DC) take between 30 minutes to 1.25 hours.
Due to the higher usage turnover (plugging in and unplugging the charger), Level 3 chargers will wear more quickly than the other types.
A typical Level 3 charger has a warranty of between 1 to 3 years and the average lifecycle is 10 years or 3,000 charging cycles.
Common problems with Level 3 chargers
Level 3 chargers are prone to the following faults:
How to minimize EV Charger problems
The problems listed above can all be managed by taking a predictive maintenance approach. In other words, EV charging station owners will benefit from taking a proactive, rather than reactive, approach.
Below are some tips on how to plan and implement a predictive maintenance strategy for your EV chargers.
How can you track these data points?
Smart charging systems make it easy to track all the data you need to implement a predictive maintenance strategy.
Ampcontrol is an industry leading CMS (charging management system) that easily connects to any OCPP-compliant charger.
In the Ampcontrol dashboard, you’ll be able to see real-time data so you can accurately monitor the condition and performance of your EV chargers. Built-in analytics alert you to any anomalies, such as any sudden reduction in power, allowing you to take action to rectify the problem.
To find out more about Ampcontrol, go ahead and book a demo.
