The electric car market in the country is growing, and judging by the fuel prices - there is a good chance that in a few years most of us will be moving between these or other electric charging stations.
Today the installation of such a stand in homes is not a matter of course, although one can see more and more charging stations for electric vehicles in public places such as malls or hospitals.
"Today, we are much more aware of this need than ever before," EV-EDGE notes. "More and more are added to the list. In the first year we had to run after the commercial customers and the chains, explain and convince why it was needed at all, and now the situation has been reversed. Every self-respecting office building installs such positions. It is really a service given to customers."
Amir Hemo, Greenspot's business development manager, also agrees.
"As time goes on, the awareness only grows," he explains. "If in the past we looked at the map of Israel and said 'it is important for us to seize infrastructure', today we are approached from all over the country no matter if it is a large mall or a neighborhood center. On one position in the parking lot, so today we want at least 3-4 charging stations, and also at end points and not just in the center of the country. "
"Once we talked about one position in the parking lot, today we want at least 3-4 charging positions."
Amir Hemo, Greenspot
But when it comes to a condominium where you want to set up a charging station, rather than a public parking lot, business can get a little complicated.
"You need a permit from the House Committee to connect to the public electricity board," explains Hamo.
"The regulator is trying to promote laws that will cut off the need for approval in principle from the House committee, but the dry law is very confusing. There is no uniformity, no way the king can say 'this is the outline'. "People are in more charging positions than a year ago."
"Those who want to install a charging station in a shared house may encounter all kinds of barriers," says Dudi Lasri, PluGO's co-owner of Gil-Car and Sergeant, "both at the regulatory level and at the information level. Sometimes the house committee fails to understand that this is a case where everyone wins, that a managed charging station in the parking lot gives peace to both the customer and the committee.
"Our system generates information alerts and reports, enabling remote troubleshooting.
There are very few times that need to be reached for non-charging treatments.
"The system manages energy - most buildings in Israel are not prepared to receive all the electric vehicles and they lack power in the electrical panel - and we take the existing current and allow more vehicles to charge. In addition, the managed system sees each tenant's consumption and transfers to the House Committee."
Argument position, Photo: Tal Reches
So how do you really solve a building problem that has no power to charge?
"Today we already know how to do energy management," explains his father-in-law, "to transfer the electricity to the car according to what it needs at that given moment. The stations know how to talk to each other and route energy optimally, and reduce the amps if necessary.
"The premise is that everyone comes back in the evening and charges the vehicle until the next day, which means there is a 10-hour range that allows charging the vehicle, and there are vehicles that fill up already after 4 or 5 hours. So even if everyone gets less electricity, it's still long enough Fill the car battery. "
A few cars in the parking lot of one building is nice, but what do you do when it comes to just one tenant?
"We came across this. We connect each tenant according to his need, do not set up charging stations for those who do not need. "Accompany the first tenant - and perhaps the only one - in front of the building committee, in choosing an optimal position and infrastructure, and prepare him so that if there are more tenants who want to connect - we will balance loads and regulate electricity at his charging station."
"Quite a few companies market positions without a management system, and that shows they have no plans to be here for long."
Dudi Lasri, Photography: Jossef SI Photography
Parking or not to be?
The problem with electric vehicles, it seems, begins when not all drivers have private parking.
While they can charge the battery in public charging stations, but how convenient is it?
Should a lack of private parking prevent us from buying an electric car?
Udi Eliyahu, CEO of Afcon Electric Transport, tries to answer the question. "In my opinion, it is definitely possible to buy an electric car even if there is no private parking," he clarifies, "It depends on everyone's travel habits.
I know some who do not even have a portable charger, and they charge the vehicle on the public network.
But our starting point is that the first drivers to switch to electric are yes those who can install a stand in the house.
"Some importers condition the sale of the vehicle on the ability to charge the house and demand that we inspect the tenant's building beforehand, because they do not want the driver to buy the vehicle, be disappointed and damage their name."
Electric car charging station, Greenspot
EV-EDGE also agrees: "A lot of the charging is done in the workplace, and this is how it can be done well. Half a year ago the thought was that without a charging station at home you do not buy an electric car, but in recent months, with the new entry of Tesla vehicles, some people buy the car. Without a position at home and getting along. "
"Electric car owners plan and manage their trips," adds Amir Hamo.
"The issue of range anxiety is very critical at the moment, and I think it will disappear from the world in the future. If a year or two ago vehicles with a range of 250-300 km came into charge, today we are talking about a minimum of 400 km. So another 3-4 Years, when there will be large electrical loads in buildings, vehicles will do 700 km and more.
The average driver does not drive 700 km a day, so this will create a situation where people will not have to charge their car every night. "
Another option, we are told at EV-EDGE, is a portable charger connected to a standard electrical outlet - but they have reservations: "There are all sorts of problems about it, because according to the IEC's guidelines it is not allowed to charge more than 10 amps and more than two hours in a row. Charging levels are the slowest. In two hours, 10 amps will fill 10 kilowatt-hours, which is about 24 km. "
Electric car charging station, PLUGO
Direct connection, and you drove
And can also be loaded through fast chargers.
"This is a direct connection to the vehicle's battery," explains Udi Eliyahu, "and these are charging stations that will usually be at gas stations or shopping centers, and can charge a vehicle within 20 minutes, as opposed to home charging stations, which will take about four hours to charge.
"And there are also ultra-fast chargers, which can already charge at 100 or 200 amps, and we recently installed a stand that can charge at 350 amps, the first in Israel, in a Porsche garage in Herzliya. Chargers of 200 were installed on Road 6, in Tel Aviv, in the universe, In Mitzpe Ramon, in Eilat and in other places in the country, it takes about 8-5 minutes for a good charge. "
There are rumors that fast charging may shorten battery life. What do you think about it?
"There is still not enough experience on the subject, and even if fast charging shortens battery life, it is not significantly so."
"The starting point is that the first drivers to switch to electric are those who can install a stand in the house."
Afcon, Photo: Rafi Daloia
Standard mark and protection mechanisms
So, how does it work?
You are planning to buy an electric car and want to install a charging station for it.
You have a certificate that your parking is in the registry office, a certificate from the landlord or that the house committee has no objection to the installation.
What should be verified beforehand?
"The first thing to check is whether there is power available in the house's electrical panel," EV-EDGE explains.
"An average house in Israel has a three-phase connection of 25 amps, and we want at least 10 amps available for charging. If it is a new house, you can order a 40 amp connection to the house in advance, and an existing apartment can be ordered to increase connection. A few thousand shekels. "
Dudi Lasri adds: "There is an option to increase the current artificially. If there is a building whose electrical panel has 160 amps available, and each vehicle needs 10 amps, then the 16th vehicle that arrives closes the scroll and there is no place to connect. Our system detects the vehicle. "That comes, and reduces all charging to others and makes room. Everything works according to the logic that by 6 in the morning all vehicles will reach 100 percent charge. It does not eliminate the increase in energy needs, but postpones it."
After ordering a qualified electrician or electrical engineer, who performed an optimality test that includes the electric current that the building also needs in an emergency format and with all systems, and found that there was enough current left in the electrical panel to install a charging station - you should check with the company.
"It must be ensured that the company has a standard mark - European or Israeli," explains Dudi Lasri, .
"You have to look at the company itself - if it's a company that does it 'on the road' or one that deals with it, if it's a big, serious company or if it's something temporary, if it's an attempt to ride a wave and move on. Does the company have a position management system? Companies market positions without a management system, which shows that they do not plan to be here for long. "
Charging station for electric vehicles, Photo: Raz Anidjar
And how much will it cost us? The price range is not fixed and varies according to the data. If your parking is close to the electrical panel and the infrastructure itself is good, you may only pay about NIS 1,000, but in other cases, where you will need to upgrade the electrical network or install another electrical cabinet, installing the stand can cost as much as NIS 5,000 and more. Even if we compare it to fuel expenses, we'll probably still make a profit.