To install a charging station, it is important to follow the installation instructions and recommendations for each of our products; you can find installation guides in the Products section. For expert advice to minimize installation costs, especially when installing a large number of charging stations on the same site, we recommend that you contact our team.
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).
A Direct Current Fast Charger (DCFC) is a charging station that can deliver up to 50kW power at a tension of around 400VDC, allowing you to charge a vehicle up to 80% of its autonomy in 26 minutes, under ideal conditions. Both the outdoor and the battery temperature can change charging times. A very cold battery in winter (-30⁰C) may take 2 to 4 times longer to recharge.
From a general point of view, smart charging stations allow owners to:
From a technical point of view, said smart charging station allows owners to:
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.
Initially, you must obtain an access card for the network you want to use or download the mobile application to access the charging service. You will be able, upon receipt, to transfer funds using a credit card via the network’s user web portal. Either the card or the application is used to identify you during a charging session and allows charging when available funds are sufficient. In both cases, the use of the charging service requires the presence of charging credits in your account. These credits can be added to your account from the user web portal or from the mobile application.
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:
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 log into the FLO network Web site (using your member name or idFLO card number). Then, in the “My Account” page, you will be able to view the available credit on your card, as well as the history of all your charging sessions performed on the FLO network charging stations.
Simply call our customer service at 1-(877)-505-2674 ext. 201 and provide the charging station’s identification number displayed below the digital display screen (such as AAA-007), as well as your idFLO card identification code (a series of 16 numbers shown on the card) if you can provide it.
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.
The FLO network Web site’s welcome page has a search engine that enables you to locate, on a map, the nearest charging stations from an address or postal code.