You’ve made a smart choice for the environment and for your wallet. On-the-road chargers, often known as "rapid chargers", are mainly designed for quick top-ups on longer journeys and to use your electric vehicle (EV) to its fullest potential, you’ll need to learn how to use public EV rapid chargers. Let’s discuss this in detail.
1. Park your EV at a designated spot
Once you find your nearest public rapid charger using popular apps like Plugshare or Chargepoint, it’s time to park your vehicle. Make sure to park your EV at the designated spot for the charger.
Get the required charging cable
The next step is to check to see if the charging cable for the EV rapid charger is available at the charging station. Most rapid charging points have CCS or CHAdeMO connectors with cables, you can choose the best support for your EV. If the cable is not available, you’ll need to use yours with type 2 Mennakes connectors before you can start charging.
Connect your EV with the charging station
Now connect the tethered charging cable connectors with your EV charging port to make the flow of electric current possible through the charger. If haven’t connected it properly then the connection wouldn’t be established. If you have Tesla Model 3 then the “BLUE” light will turn on present on the charge port to indicate that connector is plugged in.
Activate the Charger by authenticating
Now it’s time to activate the EV charger by selecting a payment method although some Rapid charger offer “Plug N Play” without signing up.
RFID Card
RFID cards are a great way to activate the charger, as they’re easy to store and carry around. All you need to do is tap the card against an RFID card reader and the charger will automatically activate.
Mobile App
Most providers offer mobile app compatibility like ChargePointwhich allows you to activate the charger remotely. This makes it easy to manage your charging sessions, as you can monitor the charging progress and check the remaining battery power from anywhere.
Contactless Payment Cards
This is a great option if you don’t have an RFID card or a compatible mobile app. All you need to do is hold the debit or credit card up to the card reader and the charger will be activated.
Monitor the Charging Process
Now, you’ll need to monitor the charging process. This can be done through the EV charging station’s app or the EV’s display. Many EV charging stations will also send you an email or text message when your EV is fully charged.
End the charging session and unplug the cable
To end the charging session with a PFID card or fob, just swipe it up again and wait for the confirmation beep. Once it's done, take your card back. To end the charging session via the app, open the app and select "End Charge Session". The app will then prompt you to disconnect the charger cable.
Not ending your charging session properly could lead to problems such as overcharging, wasted energy, and even potential fire hazards.