• • • ELECTRIC VEHICLES• • •
commissioning as well as preventative maintenance applications. Also, using a thermal imaging camera in conjunction with a multifunction installation testers (MFT) or digital multimeter (DMM) enables technicians to identify any problems within seconds.
Hand-held portable oscilloscopes that have been designed for troubleshooting and motor drive analysis are especially suited to operating in hazardous and harsh environments, with the instruments combining the performance of a bench oscilloscope with a multimeter and a paperless recorder.
Other useful tools for the EVCS testing technician include earth ground clamps and battery analysers which are designed for testing individual stationary batteries and battery banks. They measure internal battery resistance, AC and DC voltage, AC and DC current, ripple voltage, frequency and temperature.
Who will install and maintain the infrastructure?
A major problem with commissioning and maintaining all these new EVCSs is the worldwide shortage of skilled electricians to carry out the work.
Over several years, there has been a marked decline in the number of experienced installation technicians in the electrical sector – many are leaving as they reach retirement age – while at the same time the majority of new recruits have not received the level of training that is required.
What is particularly lacking for them has been
hands-on training that ensures testing technicians are able to interpret precisely what they are being told by their sophisticated test equipment so that they are able to take the appropriate action.
Some errors can be fatal Training targeted at EVCS testing is essential for many reasons, not least the need to keep technicians safe but also to enable them to cope with the increasing demands of testing in the EV charging sector and help them to document an installation fully so they can ensure it is safe to operate.
Electricians with improved training and armed with more knowledge in the commissioning and maintenance of EVCSs can improve their productivity significantly. An inadequately trained installation technician can not only take longer to carry out a task, and therefore contribute to
downtime, but they can also make errors that could cause damage to costly equipment. When working with such high-power equipment, some errors can even be fatal.
Whether for compliance, safety or efficiency reasons, good quality electrical installation training can put companies in a stronger position when it comes to testing and troubleshooting by supporting their employee development targets. Many general electricians are looking to upgrade their skills by undertaking certified training programmes for EVCS installation and testing.
Reliability of infrastructure In general, a more skilled workforce will help to speed up the roll-out of EVCSs and, therefore, broaden the adoption of electric vehicles. For electrical professionals, EVCS installations create new opportunities and extra revenue streams for those with the knowledge, skills and tools to handle high-power EV charging. However, it is the reliability of EVs and their associated charging infrastructure that are the crucial factors capable of influencing the growth of this market. The European Commission for Alternative Fuels Observatory says that EVCS infrastructure doubled in Europe between 2020 and 2021 and is likely to have doubled again by the end of 2022.
In the coming years, this growth is expected to increase still further as the world drives inexorably towards a greener future, and everybody in the sector needs to be ready.
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • FEBRUARY 2023 41
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