There are many ways to boost the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). For starters, automobile manufacturers must build more cars. Governments and legislators should also encourage consumers to switch to EV vehicles. California has passed multiple laws and incentives, such as its Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) and Near-ZEV Component Rebates, which could be more widely considered.
Advanced EV charging stations use cellular technology, including LTE Cat 4 and Cat 1, LTE-M, and 5G RedCap 3GPP standards. Such industrial-grade radio access technology reliably connects EV charging communication infrastructure to a wide-area network or local networks.
However, the most important (and sometimes overlooked) step in advancing EV adoption in any country is the installation of more charging stations.
In addition to building thousands of additional EV charging stations, electric charging companies must ensure that these stations have optimal connectivity to deliver service without interruption. Of course, maintaining continuous connectivity is easier said than done.
A study by the Electrification Institute found that poor connectivity caused 55% of failed EV charging sessions, highlighting the need for dependable, always-on solutions.
Connectivity consequences
Every minute that a charging station is unavailable is lost revenue — whether a customer abandons their charging session or the electric charging company has to provide a charge for free due to issues with the payment system.
One year of connectivity issues can cost a charge station operator as much as $10 million in lost revenue. Likewise, electric charging companies must send technicians on-site to troubleshoot the network signal and resolve connectivity problems, incurring costs associated with service calls and truck rolls.
Poor connectivity also degrades the customer experience and brand reputation. While not as easy to calculate, this can be just as damaging to sales for any business operating in a competitive market environment. Consider that EV charging networks not only enable service for the driver charging their EV but also for the customers searching for available stations. If a charging station is unavailable, drivers with mobile apps or tools that track charging station availability will take note and search elsewhere for a different charge point.
The worst situation for an electric charging company would be for a driver to find a disconnected charging point and for their EV to be so low that the driver can’t get to the next closest charger. This scenario would create a PR nightmare for the charge station operator: EV drivers would categorize the brand as notorious for unreliability and opt for alternative charging stations.
Finding solutions
EV charging companies must provide connectivity solutions that minimize failures and protect the customer experience. A network adapter powered by cellular Internet-of-Things (IoT) modules is essential. With advanced Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) technologies, charging stations can ensure reliable communication, low-latency data exchange, and secure operations, enabling real-time issue management by operators.
Connected EV charging is integral to multiple critical services, including a sustainable transport infrastructure and a highly tuned smart grid.
Advanced connectivity management platforms allow charging companies to remotely monitor and troubleshoot IoT devices, reducing downtime and eliminating the costly and time-consuming process of sending technicians on-site to resolve service issues manually.
These connectivity management platforms are crucial when a company’s charging network scales, enabling remote charging station provision, including the installed SIM solution and module.
Charging companies should also leverage a cloud-native, mobile core network with redundant multiple International Mobile Subscriber Identity or multi-IMSI to support critical remediation tasks. This redundant core network could ensure that EV charging stations remain operational even if, for example, there was a local Mobile Network Operator outage.
Cybersecurity risks
Cybersecurity is another critical component of maximizing connectivity uptime and minimizing connectivity downtime for EV charging stations.
The reality is that EV chargers are ideal targets for cybercriminals due to their link to critical infrastructure (the power grid) and because they store and transmit payment information. As more charging stations get installed, the attack surface increases. The potential consequences of a successful cyberattack, such as a gas shortage equivalent, underscore the gravity of the situation and the urgent need for reliable security measures.
EV charging providers need industrial-grade security to thwart cyberattacks because off-the-shelf security products may not have the latest vulnerability patches, opening the door to hackers.
Reliable cellular connectivity enables remote monitoring of EV charging infrastructure. This allows charge-point operators to monitor, diagnose, and resolve issues for anywhere.
As such, the applications and platforms that EV charging companies use to manage their IoT devices must be secure through end-to-end data encryption. Access control security policies can prevent bad actors from accessing file systems and processors.
Additionally, EV charging companies should prioritize using cellular networks rather than Wi-Fi, as the former is far more ubiquitous and secure.
Choosing reliability
Although off-the-shelf IoT or consumer-grade solutions are typically more affordable, they often result in higher costs over time due to their inflexibility and unreliability. Reliable, secure connectivity solutions are essential to ensure the success of EV charging stations and, by extension, the larger effort to increase EV adoption.
However, the work doesn’t stop after EV charging companies select a connectivity solution. Because they often lack the personnel and resources required to achieve always-on connectivity on their own, EV charging companies often require the assistance of an experienced IoT solutions provider. This provider should understand the hardware and the network — ultimately helping the EV charging company navigate the ever-evolving global network connectivity landscape.
You may also like:
Filed Under: FAQs, Wireless charging