Benefits of AC Charging for Electric Vehicles

With 98,436 new EVs being purchased in Australia in 2023, there’s more electric vehicles on the roads than ever before.

In response to this, we’ve seen a significant government response to roll out public charging stations around the country to support this increased traffic.

As charging slowly moves toward becoming as mainstream as fuelling up at a service station, education around the process needs to increase to support new drivers. After all, recent reports suggest that improving public understanding of electric vehicles and their infrastructure will be pivotal to increasing adoption rates. There are two types of electrical currents that can be used to charge your electric vehicle – Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC).

What’s the difference between AC vs DC Charging?

Simply put, the distinction between the two charging currents is made by where the conversion occurs from AC to DC within the process.

AC stands for ‘alternating current,’ and is the typical power source used by appliances and devices in the home. This type of current can be generated from renewable sources, and efficiently transported over long distances – which is why most grids use this type of power. In AC charging, the EV’s onboard inverter converts AC power to DC power to be stored in the battery.

On the other hand, in DC charging the conversion occurs within the charging station, which means the current is transported directly to the EV battery via the vehicle’s charging control system.

Why is AC Charging better for businesses?

AC charging is cheaper and easier to maintain, enabling you to pay the “same price for more assets to charge,” according to EVOS CEO Marcelo Salgado.

Whilst DC chargers require transformer upgrades to accommodate their energy requirements, AC chargers bypass this infrastructure upgrade requirement – saving your business the substantial cost and inconvenient installation time.

EVOS’s own car park is a great example of this. We have around 8 electric vehicles, combined with a 63-amp power feed and 144kW of charging. To upgrade to the 110 amps required for DC charging, the quoted amount was $100,000.

Given off-peak electricity reduces the strain on energy networks, it is typically charged at a cheaper rate. Using AC chargers enables you to effectively stage your sessions at off-peak times, which reduces the overall electricity cost.

There are a range of other key benefits of using AC charging, from practicality to sustainability. Renewable energy sources like solar or wind can be used in AC charging, making it a more sustainable option. Logistically, all EVs can use AC chargers, meaning that your business can accommodate any model.

AC charging is likely to be better for EV’s battery health in the long term.

DC charging generates heat, and excessive heat can damage and degrade a battery’s health over time. Some studies have shown a faster loss in battery capacity in fast-charged vehicles in comparison to AC-charged car batteries when comparing the exact same model car.

How can EVOS assist with your energy management?

The combination of AC chargers with our smart platform allows you to manage the EV charging process in real time, through a combination of scheduled and allocated preferential charging, and smart tariff selection.

If you have any questions about how we can assist with integrating AC charging solutions to your business, reach out to our friendly sales team at sayhi@evos.com.au