Load sharing guide
Hypercharge offers software-based load sharing capabilities for all of our stations, which allow multiple charging stations to share the available capacity of a circuit or panel when multiple charging sessions are in progress.
Typical load sharing configurations share a 40A breaker (32A max actual amperage) between 2-4 charging stations, automatically adjusting the amperage of each station between 8A and 32A depending on the number of sessions in progress.
Load sharing may also be used to limit the total draw across a panel where each station is on a dedicated circuit breaker but the total potential draw with all chargers in an active charging session would exceed the capacity of the panel or available building load.
Load sharing is configured by Hypercharge based on information provided by the installer indicating which stations share panels or circuits and the relevant capacity limits. The installer provides the configuration information for load sharing through the EC Power Up app at the end of the installation process.
When to use load sharing
Section titled “When to use load sharing”Load sharing can be a great way to increase the EV charging capacity of sites with infrastructure constraints and can reduce the costs associated with installing EV chargers, especially for larger installations.
You should consider load sharing for your installation if:
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The electrical supply or infrastructure available for EV charging is constrained below the amount required for all planned EV chargers to operate simultaneously
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The site has sporadic or inconsistent demand, with a mix of busy periods when many chargers may be occupied and slow periods where few stations are in session.
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You are looking for means a means to reduce the cost of your installation, and are willing to trade-off charging speed for drivers when multiple stations are in use.
When not to use load sharing
Section titled “When not to use load sharing”Load sharing may negatively impact the experience of users at active sites and sites with high turnover, especially as the number of active chargers on each virtual circuit increases. These cases can cause most or all of a drivers session at the station to charge at reduced power, requiring 2-4x as long to charge. Consideration should be given to the typical length of a driver’s stay at the site to ensure charging speeds are adequate.
Troubleshooting load sharing issues
Section titled “Troubleshooting load sharing issues”In most cases, if there is a problem with the load sharing configuration of your charging stations, it will impact all of the stations on the load sharing circuit.
If you notice that all of the stations connected to a single circuit breaker or panel have gone offline, particularly when multiple connected EV chargers are in an active charging session, it is likely that there is an issue with the load sharing configuration of your charging station, or that an error has occurred.
Check that the breaker for the charging stations is not tripped, and reset it if it is. Your charging stations should reboot.