EV CHARGING 01732 759725 magazine 09 Stuart Waine Stuart Waine, Director at Spry Fox Networks, explains the importance of reliable mobile connectivity for EV charging and payments EV charging boost against malicious activity. Gigabit broadband and Wi-Fi are the obvious connectivity options. Yet, deploying these networks at the scale needed to meet government targets of 300,000-plus charge points by 2030 isn’t viable due to the amount of cabling needed and the large variety of charge point locations, from busy shopping malls, railway stations, motorway services, airports, business parks and industrial estates to small car parks in rural locations. Universal availability The most cost-effective way to ensure the level of coverage needed is mobile (4G) because of its universal availability, high reliability and robust security. When choosing the location of charge points it is vital to factor in mobile signal strength from the outset, particularly in underground car parks where many charging points are sited and which to all intents and purposes are mobile dead spots without additional comms infrastructure. Ensuring reliable mobile coverage above ground is difficult enough, with physical obstructions (tall buildings and trees), line of sight challenges, network capacity and weather conditions all impacting mobile signal strength. It is even harder to do so below ground as building materials (glass, iron and steel), thick layers of soil and reinforced concrete will significantly decrease mobile signal strength, with ventilation ducts and wiring also having an effect, potentially making associated EV charge points unusable. The only way to provide the coverage needed in large underground garages and car parks is by taking the outdoor network inside using third-party equipment such as an operator DAS (distributed One of the justifications given by Rishi Sunak for extending the stop-date for new petrol and diesel vehicle sales to 2035 is that it will give the UK more time to prepare for the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). Whatever one thinks about this decision, no one would dispute the fact that the UK is seriously unprepared for the large-scale transition to EVs that is needed to meet long-term Net Zero goals. At the very least, there needs to be: n A significant increase in the total number of available EV charge points; n Standardisation in payment options; and n Reliable mobile coverage for payment authentication and validation purposes. There are currently more than 30 charging networks in the UK, with the vast majority reliant on drivers downloading an app or creating a card account so that payment can be made in advance. Both these payment options require internet access. They must also incorporate onetime authorisation code (OTAC) capabilities in line with PSD2 rules pertaining to cardholder-notpresent transactions. These codes are dynamically created as text messages for user authentication and the delivery mechanism is via 4G. In addition, a single EV charge point generates and captures huge amounts of data every time it is used – charge point ID data, plugin/unplug time and date data, total power drawn in kilowatt hours, driver payment methods, financial information, total spend, charging frequency, the type and number of vehicles using the charge point etc. – all of which must be seamlessly processed and transported via secure connections to safeguard antenna system), femtocells/ picocells or mobile signal boosters, depending on building type, services needed and available budget. Don’t forget the site survey To properly equip subterranean EV charging points so that they work reliably, regardless of mobile network operator (MNO), you will need an accurate understanding of the mobile connectivity situation at street level, and the only way to achieve this is to carry out a detailed mobile site survey. There are multiple ways to do this. The most feasible in many instances is to automate the process using self-service tools that let you remotely analyse coverage for all mobile network operators at the different locations. Because signal strength is constantly changing in line with factors such as weather, capacity and total number of users, regular surveys will be needed to maintain performance and QoS. Large enterprises will have the necessary finance and resources to commission a third-party to manage the rollout of their EV charge point infrastructure and associated comms requirements, but in tier two organisations mobile coverage responsibilities are likely to fall under the remit of facilities management. How can they cost-effectively extend the outdoor network into their underground car parks? Enter the mobile signal booster. Unlike operator DAS and femtocells/picocells, mobile signal boosters are carrier-agnostic, which means that they will be able to deliver the required mobile signal underpinning many aspects of EV charge point infrastructure, while also providing the reliable mobile coverage on which new smart building technologies depend. www.spryfoxnetworks.com Spry Fox Networks Ltd is a supplier of advanced mobile coverage technology to enhance commercial mobile and public safety communications. It is an approved supplier of the Ofcom-compliant Cel-Fi by Nextivity mobile repeater range and the developer of QuantumPath, a service assurance and surveying solution for remotely ascertaining the signal strength, quality and performance of different mobile network operators for commercial mobile and M2M applications.
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