Electrical Flow Management

1. Intro

The Charge Controller offers a feature for managing the current or power output. Regulating the output helps:

• Protect electrical components
• Prevent overload situations concerning the main fuses in the installation
• Ensures that the charger is operated within local grid codes
• Helps to operate the chargers within contractual peak load boundaries or cost saving measures

2. High level overview

3. Overview of all relevant settings

Parameter	Set by	Location	Hardware context	Info
Charging Station Hardware Current Limit [A]	Manufacturer	Legacy Configuration Interface > Manufacturer	Standalone Charging Station Double Charging Station with single feed	Defines the current-carrying capacity of a Charging Outlet and electrical components leading to it.
Charging Station Installation Current Limit [A]	Installer	Configuration Interface > INSTALLATION > General Installation	Standalone Charging Station Double Charging Station with a dedicated feed per connector	Defines the current carrying capacity of the upstream installation of a Charging Outlet.
Operator Current Limit [A]	Operator	Configuration Interface > LOAD MANAGEMENT > Local	Standalone Charging Station Double Charging Station	Defines the maximum charging current of a Charging Outlet.
Charging Station Current Limit	enabled by Manufacturer, modified by Installer	Configuration Interface > INSTALLATION > General Installation	Double Charging Station with single feed	Dynamically balances the available current on Double Charging Stations with a single feeding cable between the connectors.
Power Limit	Installer	Configuration Interface > LOAD MANAGEMENT > Local	Standalone Charging Station Double Charging Station	Limits the power supplied to a Charging Outlet. Helps to fulfill electrical grid regulations.

4. Relationship between the limits

Precedence order:

1. Hardware Current Limit
2. Installation Current Limit
3. Operator Current Limit
4. Charging Station Current Limit
5. Power Limit
6. DLM settings

• The Power Limit has to be ≤ than the Charging Station Current Limit

• The Charging Station Current Limit has to be ≤ than the Operator Current Limit

• The Operator Current Limit has to be ≤ than the Installation Current Limit

• The Installation Current Limit has to be ≤ than the Hardware Current Limit

• Either the Charging Station Current Limit or the Charging Station Installation Current Limit takes effect.

TODO: add more info here on this

5. Hardware Current Limit

1. Log in to the Legacy Configuration Interface using the Manufacturer Login Credentials
2. Under Manufacturer set Charging Station single feed to On
3. At the bottom of the Configuration Interface, click
4. Under Manufacturer > Master/Slave Mode set the Charging Station Hardware Current Limit [A] to the desired value
5. At the bottom of the Configuration Interface, click , then click to apply the changes

5.1. Explanation

• Defined by the maximum current-carrying capacity of
  • the outlet or fixed charging cable
  • of built-in or required protection devices
  • energy meters
  • contactor
  • relays
• Can be set in steps of 1A from 6A to 80A.
• Typical values are
  • 16A
  • 20A
  • 32A
  • 63A

6. Installation Current Limit

1. Log in to the Configuration Interface with the Installer Login Credentials
2. Under INSTALLATION > General Installation set the Charging Station Installation Current Limit [A]
3. At the bottom of the Configuration Interface, click , then click to apply the changes

6.1. Explanation

• Is ≤ Hardware Current Limit
• Defined by the current-carrying capacity of the installation cables, protection elements or external meters
• Can be set in steps of 1 Ampere from 6A to 80A
• Setting requires local access to the charger

7. Operator Current Limit

1. Log in to the Configuration Interface using the Operator Login Credentials
2. Under LOAD MANAGEMENT > Local set the Operator Current Limit [A] and Operator Current Limit [A] to the desired values
3. At the bottom of the Configuration Interface, click , then click to apply the changes

Defines the maximum charging current for the connector. Context: Single and dual connector charger

7.1. Explanation

• Is ≤ Installation Current Limit
• Operators may set a limit for contractual reasons
• Can be set in steps of 1 Ampere from 6A to 80A also during charging sessions

8. Charging Station Current Limit

1. Log in to the Configuration Interface using the Installer Login Credentials
2. Under INSTALLATION > General Installation set the Charging Station Installation Current Limit [A]
3. At the bottom of the Configuration Interface, click , then click to apply the changes

8.1. Explanation

• The Manufacturer of a charging stations may enable the function with the parameter Charging Station with single feed in the Master/Slave settings of both charge controllers
• When enabled, the Manufacturer may set the Charging Station Hardware Current Limit on the Master controller in increments of 1 Ampere in the range of 0 to 160 A (default value: 64 A)
• In case the station can be used with either one or two feeding cables, the Manufacturer should enable the option Setting 'Charging Station with single feed' is available to Installer on the Master controller. This allows the installer to set the chosen installation option
• When the function is enabled, installers may define a Charging Station Installation Current Limit in increments of 1 Ampere in the range of 0 to 160 A (default value: 64 A). This limit replaces the connector-specific Installation Current Limit
• The function may be combined with the Dynamic Load Balancing

9. Power Limit

1. Log in to the Configuration Interface using the Installer Login Credentials
2. Under LOAD MANAGEMENT > Local turn Power Limiter Mode On
3. At the bottom of the Configuration Interface, click , then click to apply the changes

9.1. Explanation

• The Installer can enable the function in the Load Management section with Power Limiter Mode
• The function considers the hot phases and calculates the current accordingly to not exceed the set maximum
• In manual configuration, the power limit can be chosen in 1 W increments between 4.140 and 43.000 Watt
• The progressive mode assumes a single-phase car and reduces the current after one minute when more phases are used. The conservative mode assumes a three-phase car and increased the current when less phases are used
• The option Slow charging (Austria) limits the maximum power to 5.5 kW per connector, using the progressive mode
• On dual connector chargers, the limit will be applied to both connectors individually