• • • ELECTRIC VEHICLES • • •
FDB and Dirak e-mobility solutions for the nationwide roll-out
Climate change is now recognised as the biggest threat to our presence on this planet, to the extent that step by step we are changing our usage of fossil fuels, and along with that comes the rebuilding of a century old infrastructure – both a challenge and an opportunity for our industry, says Gary Miles, managing director of FDB Panel Fittings
C
urrently, we are told that 2-3% of cars are electric with a government mandate that no new petrol or diesel cars may be sold from 2030. A major limiting factor in the process is the problem of range anxiety coupled with long journey negative experiences.
Much of this is derived from limited numbers, geographic location and damaged/non-working equipment with the existing support structure such that there is constant pressure to achieve a charging network to compare with petrol and diesel. We can perhaps think of this as parallel to the early days of internal combustion when fuel was only available in jars from a chemist – then a few garage fueling stations, which grew to the ubiquitous network we have today.
As electric cars become more widely used, the network of e-charging stations is therefore continuously expanding. Currently it is reported
that there are only 42,000 public charging stations in the UK with some 94 cars per single fast charging point.
This is a fast-growing landscape of housings that require a robust hardware solution to reliably protect the power connections of the charging poles to the associated equipment and to ensure suitable protection against the weather and vandalism. A suitable program of latching, hinging and sealing is called for as enabling technology in this upgrading process.
Charging stations for electric cars are located largely in publicly accessible outdoor areas where they are exposed not only to the effects of weather, but also to vandalism and accidental damage. To protect these housings which are so important for the infrastructure against this kind of damage, the switch cabinets should be securely locked. Handles have been developed for this purpose that meet the requirements of resistance class RC2 similar to DIN 1630 and are thus able to withstand vandalism damage by opportunists. Sturdy Material is clearly required for this application and it has been found that latching handles made of powder-coated zinc die or stainless steel have proven to be effective. These materials offer protection against the weather and are so sturdy that it is difficult for opportunistic vandals to break open or saw through the latches. While there is no requirement that e-charging poles in line with RC2 have to be locked. Thus, many other swinghandles and latches are also suitable. It is important to use a latch with a profile cylinder to make certain it is not too easy to break into the charging station. If several groups of persons need to have access, for example two different service providers, we recommend a double cylinder swinghandle with pivotable operating lever.
A typical hardware package might include a zinc die swinghandle, concealed hinges and an appropriate gasket sealing profile. Examples could include a dual key cylinder swinghandle with RC2 level vandal protection such as our 2-126.01 which can be opened with either of two keys and locked without a key. Swinghandles of this type are robust and easy to operate even in outdoor environments where their longevity is also an important factor. The same concerns apply to hinges in these applications where concealed hinges inside the housing are recommended. That means that
42 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • MAY 2023
random vandals are immediately frustrated as they are unable to see where the hinges are fitted. The 4-120 concealed hinge is for surface mounted doors with 120 deg opening and may be welded or screwed on to the frame.
The installation may be completed then with a
clip-on sealing profile such as a D or P type PVC/EPDM profile with closed cell sponge rubber which are characterised by high age resistance and great elasticity. Gaskets of this nature are widely available in standard sections to suit established frame/door layouts and may readily be offered in custom designs to accommodate novel housing solutions.
A package such as this will generally offer the
performance required for an independent e- charging station as presently conceived and can easily be adapted to match future developments as we progress with clean electricity from renewable sources – another area where equipment housings also require hinging/ sealing and latching hardware as part of our infrastructure renewal as it rolls out nationwide. We are delighted to offer proven technology solutions to systems manufacturers wherever they are.
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
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