South Africa’s first commercially available fully electric car was introduced in October 2013. Despite the frequently asked question of whether the country was ready for the electric car, for obvious reasons, the world is going green and so must we; it is merely an adaptation of the environment around us. Hence, lightning and surge protection expert, DEHN emphasises the importance of lightning and surge protection for electromobility charging stations.
Electric vehicles are clean, fast and quiet, and the growing electromobility market is sparking great interest among local industry, utilities, communities and citizens. This is evident, as two well-known motor vehicle manufacturers leading the pack in electromobility signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly plan and build a national grid of EV and PHEV vehicle charging stations for use by their customers early last year. By November 2015, the first phase of public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles was rolled out in the heart of Melrose Arch, Johannesburg and some offices, mostly banks, have already erected charging points in their staff parking.
Growth in the market is reflective in the 2015 electric car sales figures that show an increase to 0.04 percent compared to the previous year’s sales of 0.02 percent in the motoring industry. This growth highlights the need for a comprehensive lightning and surge protection concept to be included already at the design phase of electromobility vehicles.
Lightning effects and surges present a risk for the sensitive electronic circuitry of electromobility charging stations and the customer’s vehicle. Failure or damage can quickly become quite expensive. Apart from the repair costs, electromobile manufacturers also run the risk of losing customers’trust. Customers may not feel safe driving electric vehicles that are not protected from possible damage. Therefore, reliability is a top priority, particularly in an emerging market.
Prevent downtime and protect your investments with the comprehensive DEHN protective device portfolio for electromobility charging stations and prevent costly damage to:
• The charge controller and battery;
• The electronic circuitry for the controller, counter and communication; and
• The system of the charging station of the vehicle to be charged.
Charging stations are required where electric vehicles are parked for a long period of time, be it at work, home, park + ride sites, in multi-storey car parks, or in underground car parks. Therefore, charging stations will be installed in private, semi-public, and public areas – and consequently there is an increasing interest in comprehensive protection concepts. The vehicles are too expensive and the investments too high to run the risk of lightning and surge damage, which is why protection from the following should seriously be considered.
Thunderstorms – Risk for the electronic circuitry
When it comes to thunderstorms, the sensitive electronic circuitry for the controller, counter and communication system is particularly at risk. Satellite systems whose charging points are interconnected can be immediately destroyed by a single lightning strike. Electric vehicles typically have an electric strength of up to 2,500 V – however, a lightning strike can produce a voltage 20 times higher than that.
Surge damage
It is highly probable that power surges will damage the vehicle during a charging process.
Protect your investments and prevent damage
Depending on the location and type of threat, an individually adapted lightning and surge protection concept is required. It is ideal that organisations seek protection consultation at the design stage, so that an optimal solution is sought for this type of project.
The market leader DEHN, a globally active family-owned electrotechnical company with more than 1600 employees worldwide, offers innovative products and solutions as well as comprehensive services in the field of surge protection, lightning protection and safety equipment. DEHN focuses on the protection of system and building technology, the transportation, telecommunication and process sector, photovoltaic systems, wind turbines, etc. The company's continuous growth is based on more than 100 years of tradition and experience as well as highest quality standards and consistent customer and market orientation throughout the world.