North Carolina-based Atom Power is launching a new EV charging station that could make it easier to manage electricity costs in apartments and condominiums.
Atom Power Purpl charges directly from a circuit breaker, so no electronics are contained within the device, the company explained last month in a press release. That also allows a power management system to sense changes in demand within seconds, rather than the 15-minute delay of other charging hardware, Atom Power claims.
Close monitoring of demand is important to avoid demand-driven charges, which are often collected by utilities when demand at a particular location exceeds its usual peak. Proper charging demand management can mean the difference between charging an EV for $18 a month and $476 a month, Atom Power claims.
This could alleviate concerns about high charging costs at multi-unit homes, without resorting to expensive battery buffers.
Atom Power Purpl EV Charging Station
Just get EVs charged into past apartment buildings and homeowner associations may be enough of a battle—Lucky even without taking into account the cost of on-demand charges from multiple vehicles charging at the same time.
It should be noted that, for now, the request fee is mostly an issue for DC fast charging stations, which can consume a lot of power even when only a small number of cars are charging. However, Level 2 AC charging stations in a large building can cause on-demand charging problems, if enough cars are charging at the same time.
Ideally, the regulatory changes would reduce or eliminate the required fees for electric vehicle charging. Fees required for the purpose of solve the problem of industrial energy use, and ensure that manufacturing plants and other high-energy users pay to maintain the highest levels of energy they may need.
Massachusetts passed the law urges utility agencies to develop alternative pricing structures for DC fast charging stations to reduce the potential for on-demand charges. Will other states follow suit?
