The key considerations for EV charging implementation

Accessibility and inclusion

Aside from fleet renewal and transition, public authorities must also support the general public in their transition to electric vehicles, and it’s here that accessibility and inclusion will play a major role in ensuring that people from all walks of life can charge publicly. The challenge facing the industry is that every part of it must work collaboratively to ensure that nobody is left behind. This is always a challenge, but even more so in electric mobility where the pace of change and innovation is still picking up.

"The public sector needs to establish a standards framework that guides this work and be extra vigilant in their investigations into what’s required to ensure that the EV transition is as inclusive as possible"

Breaking down the average process for EV charging for somebody in a wheelchair shows how big the challenge is. They have to find the right location to be able to charge, park the car and have space to get out, and then actually initiate the charge. Each phase requires the involvement of a different part of the EV solution ecosystem: mobility service providers need to provide the right information to disabled customers about where wheelchair accessible chargers can be found, and allow them to be reserved; chargepoint operators need to ensure they’re providing wheelchair accessible chargers as part of their network; and the hardware OEMs need to consider how to make charging cables more accessible to give wheelchair users additional freedom in terms of how they park.

The public sector needs to establish a standards framework that guides this work and be extra vigilant in their investigations into what’s required to ensure that the EV transition is as inclusive as possible. Siemens has been cooperating with inclusivity activists to develop barrier-free charging, including requirements for the design of digital applications to find accessible chargers, the installation of barrier-free parking spaces, and also a better experience and process at the charging point.

Again, collaboration between the public and private sectors is essential here. The public sector must be a role model in supporting equal access to EV charging by establishing a legal framework, and need to work with the private sector to adopt suitable technologies and use its expertise to run pilot projects to speed up the rollout of more accessible charging infrastructure.

Overcoming issues of placement

The placement of EV chargers is a major consideration when it comes to making charging networks accessible, and will impact every EV user.

Siemens’ Integrating electric vehicle charging into urban infrastructure whitepaper highlights the range of locations where accessible charging infrastructure must become the standard:

• In the workplace – EV charging at work could become just as important as home or public charging to users. It will both increase employee satisfaction for those with EVs, but also demonstrate the employer’s commitment to environmental sustainability, helping them to reduce indirect emissions.
• In public – for those without access to home or workplace charging, public charging infrastructure will be critical, but to see EV adoption reach new heights, charging must increasingly move in-line with refuelling a conventional vehicle – particularly with regard to the time it takes to charge. Kerb-side charging will bring huge value to EV users, and as well as add value to the kerb space itself.
• At destinations – locations like airports, shopping centres, universities and stadia will be crucial in closing gaps in charging networks. As with other types of public charging, fast charging will be pre-requisite, though dwell times in these places can vary, meaning a mix of AC and DC chargers is necessary.

In each of these scenarios, the time it takes to charge must begin to more closely align with the amount of time the user has available. Slower chargers in public spaces can lead to congestion at popular charging points, meaning that charging options need to be as ubiquitous as possible. However, charging infrastructure is costly, and asset owners will naturally look for a reasonable return on their investment. With greenfield sites extremely limited within cities, the adaptation of spaces that fall into each of the above categories will be essential for new charging infrastructure to be installed.

"As a provider of charging infrastructure solutions, Siemens has models of what the energy grid looks like, how it is being used, and where certain levels of consumption are happening"

Indeed, knowing where to install new charging infrastructure and in which scenarios adaptation is required is one thing, but actually making it happen is another.

As a provider of charging infrastructure solutions, Siemens has models of what the energy grid looks like, how it is being used, and where certain levels of consumption are happening. This allows the company to map and simulate where charging infrastructure should go, but the two things that restrict options are always the same: space and electricity.

A certain amount of space is needed to place the charging stations, and you need the right supply of electricity to actually charge the vehicles. This might appear obvious but different use cases bring very different challenges; a brownfield bus depot conversion is completely different to a greenfield logistics hub, which is also completely different to installing a low-power charging network in an airport car park.

Overcoming these restrictions is often a case of working with what you have because in reality, there’s no choice but to find a solution. Doing so requires creative thinking and reliable engineering, in combination with an effective, clear legal framework. Flexibility is critical to developing the infrastructure required to support the transition to EVs at the scale that’s needed for greener cities. Together, these elements will provide cities and governments with the tools they need to solve the urban challenges they currently face, and create a more resilient, sustainable and safe environment for the future.