The difference between new energy DC charging station and AC charging station

In response to the national policy, the share of new energy vehicles in the automotive market and the motivation of consumers to buy them are gradually increasing. With the widespread popularity of new energy vehicles, the problems that follow are gradually becoming apparent, the first of which is the charging problem!

As far as charging of new energy vehicles is concerned, there are now two types of charging piles on the market, DC and AC, with the following differences.

1. AC charging station, commonly known as "slow charging", is a power supply device installed outside the electric vehicle, connected to the AC grid, to provide AC power to the on-board charger of the electric vehicle (i.e. the charger fixed on the electric vehicle). The AC charging post only provides power output and has no charging function. It needs to be connected to the on-board charger to charge the electric vehicle. It is equivalent to just acting as a control power supply. The AC pile outputs single-phase/three-phase AC power and converts it into DC power through the vehicle charger to charge the vehicle battery. The power is generally small (3.5kw,7kw, 11kw,22kw, 40kw, etc.) and the charging speed is generally slow, taking roughly 6~10 hours to fully charge the vehicle, so it is generally installed in community car parks and other places.

2. DC charging station, commonly known as "fast charging", it is fixed outside the electric vehicle, connected to the AC grid, can provide DC power supply for non-vehicle electric vehicle power battery power supply device. The input voltage of the DC charging post is three-phase four-wire AC 400 V ±15%, frequency 50Hz, and the output is adjustable DC power, which directly charges the power battery of the electric vehicle. As the DC charging pile is powered by a three-phase four-wire system, it can provide sufficient power (60kw, 120kw, 200kw or even higher) with a wide range of voltage and current adjustment to achieve fast charging requirements. It takes roughly 20 to 150 minutes to fully charge a car, so they are usually installed at charging stations next to motorways for the occasional needs of users on the way.

In conclusion, it is important to be familiar with the differences between DC and AC charging stations and to understand that each of them has its own application. Users can choose the right charging post according to their own situation.