There are two different EV charging stations, AC and EV DC charging station.
Actually, it’s not because the manufacturers that make the charging stations intentionally do it.
Generally, the State Grid always supplies power to users in the form of AC (alternating current).
But the energy of electric vehicle batteries is always DC (direct current)
In short, there are 2 fundamental reasons why AC charging stations are different from DC charging stations.
1. Electricity is always supplied as alternating current.
2. The energy stored in the battery is always direct current.
This article will introduce you to the differences between AC and DC charging stations in 5 aspects.
1. Charging mode
2. Charging station size
3. Charging speed
4. Charging curve
5. Price
Charging Mode
EV AC charging station is also known as slow charging station.
It means that electric vehicles are connected to the power grid through charging station, so that their On-board generator accept the alternating current of the power grid, and then convert it into direct current to charge electric vehicles.
EV DC charging station is also known as fast charging station.
It accept the grid alternating current and convert it into direct current, and then directly charge the electric vehicle.
Charging Station Size
Generally, DC charger is bigger than AC charger.
Because the EV DC charging station directly charges the electric vehicle battery, it has more components than the AC charging station to convert the alternating current in the grid into direct current (AC to DC), and the EV DC charging station needs more space to place these components
In order to achieve direct charging of electric vehicle batteries, DC charging stations need to place more components.
Charging Speed
We know the EV DC station charging mode.
So, DC charging station method bypasses the on-board generator or other car battery charging system, so it is more efficient and the charging speed is faster.
In addition, EV DC charging stations are generally more powerful than AC, Other things being equal, EV DC charging is faster than AC station.
Charging Curve
The charging curves of EV DC charging station and EV AC charging station are different.
In simple terms, it is the change in the size of the power delivered to the battery by the charging station as the charging time increases and the battery power increases.
At the beginning of charging, the DC charging station will charge the battery with high power output, and as the charging proceeds, the battery power increases to the basic power (about 40% Electric storage capacity), the output will gradually become smaller.
At the beginning of charging, the AC charging station will charge with a small output, and then slowly increase the output to a stable output state, the output change is relatively small.
In the late charging period when the battery power tends to saturation, whether it is DC or EV AC charging station, the output power will become relatively small and the charging speed will slow down, which is why it takes a long time for the final remaining battery capacity to be full when the electric vehicle is about to be fully charged.
Price
The price of DC charging station is expensive, because the EV DC charging station has more components, the line is more complex, and the production cost will be higher.
So it is generally more expensive to sell.
AC charging stations are relatively cheap than DC.
Besides, in addition to the acquisition cost, in the follow-up maintenance costs and electricity costs, DC charging stations are also higher than AC charging stations.
More understanding is for the scientific choice.
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