Contact our team:

Email: info@addenergie.ca

Phone: 1 (877) 505-2674 # 203

Each electric vehicle, whether a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) or battery electric vehicle (BEV), has an onboard charger to convert the Alternative Current (AC) supplied by a Level 1 or Level 2 charging station into Direct Current (DC) power.

These onboard chargers usually have a capacity of 3.3kW or 6.2kW which means that, depending on your electric vehicle charger, you can transfer up to twice as much energy (with a charger of 6,2kW) compared to some other electric vehicles.

Typically, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles will generally have a 3,3kW onboard charger and battery electric vehicles will have a 6,2kW onboard charger; there are more and more exceptions as the number of electric vehicle models increases.

It is important to mention that most battery electric vehicles can be purchased with a Direct current fast charging port (CHAdeMO or SAE J1772 Combo) to recharge your batteries faster (80% of its autonomy in 26 minutes) by connecting directly to the batteries (without using the onboard charger).

From a general point of view, smart charging stations allow owners to:

• Provide a better service to electric vehicles drivers
• Greatly minimize operating costs of a charging station
• Generate revenue and to control access to members to whom this service is available
• Remotely update, to add new features and to ensure compatibility with the new electric vehicles entering the market
• Provide a location and precise status of the charging station via various platforms (website, mobile application, navigation system, etc.), avoiding just having an approximate location on a map without status, which will take electric vehicle drivers on unnecessary detours from not knowing if the charging stations are in use or not

From a technical point of view, said smart charging station allows owners to:

• Obtain meaningful data and create reports on the charging station usage information, energy consumption, etc.
• Supply charging station usage information, energy consumption, etc. to electric vehicles drivers
• Manage the amount of electricity supplied to the vehicle and minimize demand charge
• Control access to the charging station, since it is equipped with an RFID access card reader
• Provide access to charging stations by clicking a button on the network’s mobile app
• Establish pricing based on various types of clients
• Undertake updates remotely
• Provide access to the station’s status at all times

When planning the acquisition of a charging station, it is important to take into consideration all the costs associated with it. Indeed, the cost of installation (electric panel replacement, excavation, civil works, etc.) and operating costs (demand charge, electricity, electric vehicle drivers’ support and service management, etc.) should not be ignored, since more often than not, the costs associated with the acquisition are greater than the cost of the station itself. It is important to understand the charging solutions available on the market; understanding them could save you money, and undue worries. At AddÉnergie, we have solutions that maximize your profits and minimize your costs throughout your products’ useful life. Choosing a basic charging station (residential) for a commercial or industrial application will be more expensive to operate than using a charging network solution. The few extra dollars initially invested will be recovered quickly in the first operating years of your stations. Contact one of our representatives to assist you with your choice.

Autonomy per hour of charging depends on the average consumption of your vehicle (kWh per km), your driving style (sporty, green, etc.), and the maximum charging power of your car’s onboard charger.

For example, a vehicle that consumes an average of 0.15 kWh per km (such as the 2012 Nissan Leaf), with a maximum charging power of 6.6 kW, is going to be able to travel 44 km on transferred electric power for a single hour of charging.

The cost of using the charging service depends on the policy of the network operator and owners of charging stations. The price may be session-based (e.g. by charging $2.50, regardless of the length of this charge) or hourly (e.g. by charging $1.00 per hour of use).

In some cases, operators can offer the charging service for free on a temporary (or permanent) basis during promotions.

In all cases, the rate of use is clearly displayed on the charging station.

It depends on the charge level of the battery in your vehicle when you start charging, the storage capacity of the battery, and the maximum charging power of your vehicle’s on-board charger.

For example, a vehicle with a battery capable of storing 24 kWh (such as the 2012 Nissan Leaf), which can be charged at a maximum power of 3.3 kW will take 3 hours and 38 minutes to be fully charged, if at the beginning of the charging session the charge level was 50%.

Initially, you must obtain an idFLO card. You will be able, upon receiving the card, to transfer funds using a Mastercard or VISA credit card via the FLO network web portal. This card is used to identify you during a charging session, and allows charging when available funds are sufficient.

Two types of cards are offered:

• The FLO network membership card that you can order from the FLO network web portal. This requires the creation of a personal portal account.
• The anonymous card offered by some FLO network site operators.

In both cases, the use of the card requires idFLO charging credits that can be added to the card from the FLO network web portal.

To start a session, simply swipe your idFLO card near the charging stations’s display screen, where a hand holding a card is displayed. The access process will be launched, checking the available credit on the card.

Once you are authenticated and all verifications have been made (which usually takes a few seconds), the charging station will unlock the door and prompt you to connect the station’s connector to your vehicle. The session starts when you connect the charging station’s connector to the vehicle and ends when you place the charging station’s connector back inside the charging station and close the door.

Warning
the session won’t end until you put the connector back into place and completely close the door on it. If this isn’t completed, the charging fee will continue to be applied.

Make sure the door is well closed and locked; a sound can be heard inside the station when the door locks. The automatic lock can only occur if the door is well closed.

Simply call our customer service at 1-(877)-505-2674 ext. 201

After verifying your identity, the customer service agent will transfer the funds associated to the lost, or damaged, card to a new card, which you will receive as soon as possible.