Charger Voltage

Whether using a home charger via a wall box or conventional outlet, DC fast charger or rapid charger, voltage data is required to allow the functioning of the charging system. It is used for many other attributes to work in an electric vehicle. These include estimated time to charge, AC/DC conversion and to help manage temperatures and safety of charging systems.

The data from voltage sensors on an electric vehicle are fed into a vehicle telematics unit and control modules within the external charger. They transmit charger voltage data using mobile networks for remote monitoring by an energy supplier, card payment issuer, fleet management company and the electricity grid for many uses.

Many stakeholders are involved in the voltage data. As it is a safety-critical component, charging systems must communicate correctly with the vehicles they are charging. Data can be transmitted to a central fleet manager to understand if the charger being used is working correctly. Fleets can monitor the charge level on each of their vehicles too. With the rate of charging measured as kW, charging voltage data is used in this kW calculation and in turn, can calculate when the battery is fully charged.

This voltage data can be analysed by charger suppliers to work out any safety issues or maintenance required for their units. It can be used to correlate what speed the car is charging at against what the charger unit is saying to the user.