In the rapid move towards e-mobility, the past few years have seen an exciting acceleration of progress. Not only electric vehicles (EVs) but also EV chargers have come an impressively long way.
Newer, faster and smarter is the name of the game, with groundbreaking developments happening every day. The newly coined term smart charging, is a hot topic, but what exactly does it mean, how does it add value to the user, and why is the beautifully designed Smappee EV line seen as leading the charge?
What is smart charging?
Simply put, smart charging means you can intelligently manage how and when your EV charges and what energy sources it uses to optimize the charging process while protecting both your vehicle and building.
In practice, it relies on sophisticated data exchange systems that are automated and integrated with AI to ensure the most economical, timeous, driver-oriented and infrastructure-friendly solution.
Why do I need a smart charger?
Smart charging offers numerous advantages for both businesses and private individuals, most pertinently in saving costs, minimizing the investment needed for additional electricity capacity and ease of management with nifty dashboards and apps.
However, smart charging is a term that is often used rather generously and not all chargers assigned this description offer the full benefit of what you might expect of real smart charging.
Why Smappee’s chargers are real smart, and getting smarter by the day
1. Maximum charge with solar energy.
Charging your EV with solar energy is not only good for the environment but also for your wallet. So, naturally, you would want to make the most of it.
Smappee’s smart charging and energy management system is designed to maximize the use of solar energy. It has built-in solar forecasting, allowing users to charge their EVs, and power the washing machine or the A/C, all with solar power.
Forecasting surplus solar energy sounds magical but relies on a well-thought-out combination of algorithms.
And in case of unexpected events, it is good to know that real-time adjustments are made throughout.
2. Always charge with the cheapest tariffs.
Choosing what and how energy is consumed has become a whole lot more sophisticated in the past number of years, and it is possible to leverage this to your advantage. In fact, you can look forward to a saving of up to 50%.
Charging at the best price is not only down to free solar energy. Smappee’s unique AI makes charging with dynamic and variable rates possible. In other words, at the most advantageous off-peak rate.
When an EV driver connects to charge, the system will wait until the best moment in the day with the lowest tariffs, optimizing the cost of each charging session. Of course, always taking into account the driver’s needs.
But there is more. Smappee real smart charging also protects against high capacity rates.
During peak times, such as in the evening when many appliances are switched on plus an EV is also charging, energy use can increase beyond the capacity limit.
With a quick setting in the Smappee app, your preferred capacity limit can be set. Smappee prevents exceeding this limit by temporarily lowering the charging of the EV. This makes avoiding unnecessary extra costs totally hands-free, and there will be no more nasty surprises on your energy bill.
3. Always ensure that driver requirements are met.
Imagine this. Ten EVs are plugged in to charge simultaneously, but all drivers have different requirements regarding the time they wish to depart, and the amount of charge needed. This scenario is typical of a business where a salesperson for instance, may need to leave in an hour while the rest of the employees spend the whole day at the office, allowing for a much wider charging window.
Basic chargers will charge each car at the same speed, which will not meet all driver requirements. Smappee’s real smart charging allows for setting different privileges and charging requirements for various users, which means drivers will always be charged when they need to be.
In the Smappee App, you can also manually set your parameters, making sure that you leave in time with enough charge. Win-win.
4. Dynamic overload protection.
Charging an EV requires a lot of energy, in fact, up to five times more than the daily consumption of an average household. Whether charging at home or a whole fleet of EVs at the office, the risk of a power outage is a real possibility at high-demand times when both the building and EV compete for electricity.
Smappee’s dynamic overload protection considers both the needs of the driver, such as departure time and charging level required, as well as the limits of the building. The system manages how much energy to give to any plugged-in EV, putting less pressure on the grid.
So you can rest assured that your building is protected (no tripping). But most importantly, it can reduce your charging installation investment by as much as 25%.
5. Energy management and insights
Smappee’s integrated energy management technology, the Smappee Infinity, creates smart insights into the energy consumption of the entire building. It makes it easy to discover the most significant energy guzzlers and provides valuable information that can support wise energy decisions.
It is a breeze to have installed by a Smappee-certified installer. It is an accurate and modular system that is low in maintenance and can conveniently be updated over the air.
6. A smart certified installer and support network you can depend on.
The Smappee-certified installer network is specially qualified through the Smappee Academy.
These knowledgeable installers are trained and up-to-date on the latest technical specification of Smappee’s product to make installing your charging infrastructure worry-free.
Smappee-certified installers are underpinned by the fast and accurate Belgium-based Smappee support team. Offering support via the phone, online and remote servicing in Dutch, French and English Smappee support is highly rated by their partner network at 98%.
7. Futureproof thanks to the Smappee cloud
In a market that is growing and evolving at an unprecedented pace, Smappee reassures with real smart EV chargers ready to withstand the test of time. Through the Smappee cloud, the system can continually be upgraded with new features and technologies.
Recent updates include charging with dynamic tariffs, capacity tariff management and charging optimally even with low solar currents. Looking into the future Smappee keeps a keen eye on the very latest developments in the energy space and will continue to add smart features, to help you optimize your charging and use of energy.
8. Smartly sustainable by design
Doing your bit for the planet is something to feel good about. Smappee makes it easy not only with their advanced cleantech but also in designing products with a sustainability-first mindset.
Smappee chargers are manufactured in 100% multi-recyclable aluminum using 40x less energy to recycle. Packaged in recycled cardboard, it has an intrinsic durability through the choice of materials, production method and life-cycle management.
So, say hallo to the future. Through real smart charging with Smappee it is now possible to make optimal use of the many possibilities of modern energy systems at home, on the road, or at the office. How smart is that?
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