Traditional charging stations (also called EVSE or electric vehicle supply equipment) are stations that are uncomplicated and easy to use. You simply plug the cord into the outlet on the vehicle and walk away. There may be lights on the stations that show that the station is on, off or charging.

Some electric vehicles have a feature that allows the owner to schedule vehicle charging using the information center in the vehicle or on a smart phone app. You may also get reminders if charging is supposed to start and the vehicle is not plugged.

Charge station manufacturers now sell stations that are called ‘smart’ stations. These stations are equipped to work with cell phone apps that allow owners schedule charging, see charging status and get reminders. Some of these stations/apps work with Alexa or Google Home for you to manage your EV charging.

At times a facility wants to control who is able to use charging stations and get station usage reports but doesn’t want to charge a fee for the service. It seems like there should be an option between installing stations that anyone can use, putting stations behind a wall or gate and paying for an expensive network when you don’t want to charge to use them. That’s where Access Only options come in. Two ways to accomplish this are using,

1) Bluetooth equipped stations with a user app for access or 2) Network that
only charges a fee when you charge for the service (transaction fee) but no/low network fee.

When advanced energy, access and user features are needed, owners install networked stations. In addition to managing access, networks allow stations owners to recoup part of the cost of installing and managing the networks and to encourage drivers to move their vehicles by changing fees the longer the vehicle is plugged in. Drivers can typically find available stations and pay for a charging session using a smart phone app.

Businesses that are converting to electrified vehicles have different concerns than those businesses that are installing stations for employees, apartment residents or shoppers so their solution set may need to be different as well. Business owners may be concerned about the power they are using or they may need certain vehicles to be fully charged before others. This is where Fleet Only options come in. Fleet Only options allow for businesses to better manage how and when the fleet is charged to ensure vehicles are fully charged when expected and to manage power utilization to manage utility costs for not only the stations but for the entire facility.

If a business has a small number of vehicles, traditional or access only options may be sufficient to meet their charging needs but the business should plan for future growth by either installing a low cost or flexible stations.