Stations

Topics in this document:

• Charging station overview
  • Charging Infrastructure Status
• List view
  • Create station
  • Details station page
    • Connecting to EV Charge
    • Disconnecting from EV Charge
  • Disconnecting from EV Charge
  • Configuration
  • Update station
  • Delete station
  • Charger
  • Create charger
    • Create connector
  • Update charger
  • Delete charger
• Map view
• Connectivity Configuration
  • Communication Protocol
  • Connection Identifier
  • Connection Policy
  • Connection Example
• Charger’s session settings
• Boot Configuration
• Live Configuration Parameters

To access this section in EV Charge, from the Menu, click Stations.

Charging station overview

Under Stations, three major components can be created and managed:

1. Charging station
2. Charger
3. Connector

The charging station represents the networking component that can be connected to EV Charge, while the charger represents the hardware component of the charging infrastructure.

Charging Infrastructure Status

Charging station has a status that represents the operational availability of its charging components (chargers and connectors). This is displayed based on the reports from the charging infrastructure.

The broad operational statuses are as follows:

They can be further specified based on the individual state of each charging infrastructure component.

Here’s a detailed overview of each specific status:

Figure: Charging infrastructure’s statuses

Under Stations, there are two sections, namely:

1. List view
2. Map view

List view

Under the list view, a paginated list of all charging stations is shown in a tabular format.

To generate the stations’ list in a spreadsheet, click CSV. To print, click Print, and to copy, click Copy.

Six actions/subpages can be performed/viewed under this section, namely:

• Create station
• Details station page
  • Websocket URL link example
  • Connecting to EV Charge
• Disconnecting from EV Charge
• Configuration
• Update station
• Delete station

Create station

Under stations, to create a station, click Create. Provide a name and code for the charging station.

You can choose whether the charging station should be visible/invisible in the EV Charge - Mobile App. To achieve this, use the Visible toggle switch to enable/disable. This is handy if there is a testing station you do not want end users to see in the EV Charge - Mobile App.

As stated, invisible stations are hidden from the map, but exceptions can be made for the drivers which are station area operator’s private group members. See more.

The Boot configuration indicates whether Tridens EV Charge central system needs to execute a basic configuration for the charging station when it boots and connects to Tridens EV Charge central system. It covers charger/connector status synchronization, time synchronization and resets the charging profiles for energy rate limits, if necessary. Use the Boot configuration’s toggle switches to enable/disable each available setting. See Station Boot Configuration.

The Physical address represents the MAC address of your charging station. In EV Charge, it is for information purposes; however, it can be helpful for inventory management.

The connectivity section specifies the protocol and the rules for the communication between the charging station and the central system. Communication protocol, Connection policy and Connection identifier are the rules which need to be set according to the connectivity configuration guidelines. See Connectivity Configuration.

In addition, assign the charging station to a charging area. This will determine the position of the charger(s) on the map both for you in EV Charge and end users in the EV Charge - Mobile App.

By clicking Save, EV Charge will create a template of the charging station (which represents your charging station).

Details station page

Under stations, to see the full details of a charging station, click Details. It contains the following:

• Area
• Serial number
• Model
• Vendor
• Firmware version
• Modem iccid
• Modem IMSI
• WebSocket

The connection links are provided automatically by EV Charge. The WebSocket URL links connect your charging station to EV Charge. It contains a unique identifier assigned by EV Charge for your charging station.

Connecting to EV Charge

To connect your charging station to the central system of Tridens EV Charge, see Connectivity Configuration.

After a successful connection, the information from the handshake request will be populated in EV Charge. It can include the following:

• Serial number
• Model
• Vendor
• Firmware version

The charging station then becomes connected/operative in EV Charge.

Disconnecting from EV Charge

Under details station page, to disconnect the charging station from EV Charge, click Disconnect.

Configuration

Under details station page, specific live configuration parameters/variables with their values can be read from your charging stations. To achieve this, first, click Configuration. Then, on each configuration, click Read from station. In addition, you can change and push back the specific live configuration values.

Update station

Under stations, to update a charging station, first, click Details; it shows the details of the charging station. Then to update, click Update.

Delete station

Under stations, to delete a charging station, click Delete.

Charger

The charging station created in EV Charge represents the networking component. Once the charging station is created, a representation of your physical charger and connector can be created. To create a charger in EV Charge, see create charger.

Create charger

Under details station page, to create a new charger, click Create New Charger.

Provide a name and code for the charger. The charger’s name will be visible to end users in the EV Charge - Mobile App. The code is automatically populated; however, it can be modified as long as it is unique for each charger.

The charger’s code is vital in EV Charge. Through the code, you can generate a QR code for the charger. Therefore, end users can start a charging session in the EV Charge - Mobile App using the QR code. For more information, see Scanning a QR code.

Once the QR code is generated for the charger, it can be printed and pasted on your physical charger for end users to scan to start a charging session.

For a charger with two or more connectors that can be used simultaneously, when generating a QR code, the connector code must be included in the charger’s code as part of the text that gets converted to a QR code.

The Physical address represents the MAC address of the charger.

Reservable indicates whether the charger allows reservations. For more information, see Reservations. Use the Reservable toggle switch to enable/disable.

Roaming indicates whether the charger is available for roaming. For more information, see Roaming. Use the Roaming toggle switch to enable/disable.

The Electric current type represents the charger’s electricity flow setup.

The Charging profile limits the charger’s power output based on a fixed schedule. For instance, the charger outputs a maximum of 20kW of power at night. While at day, the output is lowered to 10kW of power. For more information, see Charging Profiles.

The Custom field is a key-value pair, enabling you to include additional information for the charger.

The Custom field can also be used to categorize and parameterize your charging infrastructure.

For instance, suppose the key-value pair for a location category:

By assigning these parameters to the charger as custom fields, in Monetization, when defining the prices that end users would pay, the parameters can be used to affect the price. For example, chargers in the city can be more expensive than those in the suburb.

Create connector

Under create charger, to create a connector, click Create New. Provide a name and code.

The connector types are standardized types that let your end users know in the EV Charge - Mobile App whether or not the connector is compatible with their vehicle.

The Voltage limit represents the connector’s maximum electric voltage limit (Volts).

The Amperage and Wattage limit depicts the connector’s maximum capability. They are used exclusively when EV Charge is performing dynamic load balancing (whether current or power-based dynamic load balancing).

Regardless of the charging area configuration for the area output limit, the amperage and wattage limit configuration will not let the connector exceed the specified value.

For instance, for a 22kW connector, the wattage limit will be configured to 22,000.

In addition, end users in the EV Charge - Mobile App can filter for a connector based on the minimum power a connector can supply. The filtering option is based on the wattage limit configured for the connector.

The Power factor represents the relationship between current and voltage and must be between 0 and 1.

A connector can have a Custom field, which can be used for parametrization and categorization. For example, if you have a charger with two connectors, with one charging faster. The price for the connector with a faster charge rate can be higher.

By clicking Save, the charger is added at the bottom of the details station page. Also, the charger will be visible in the map view in EV Charge. Furthermore, the charger and the connector(s) will also be visible to end users in the EV Charge - Mobile App.

Update charger

Under details station page, to update a charger, click Update.

Delete charger

Under details station page, to delete a charger, click Delete.

Map view

Under the map view, all chargers are shown on a map based on the charging area’s location. By selecting a specific Charger on the map, it shows the distance away from the charger. Also, it shows the charger’s name, location, and charging status. In addition, the charger’s connector(s) are shown, including their status.

Connectivity Configuration

The connectivity section of the charging station specifies the protocol and the rules for the communication between the charging station and the central system. Communication protocol, Connection policy and Connection identifier are the rules which need to be set properly.

As station is the side which initiates the connection to the Tridens EV Charge’s central system, Tridens EV Charge’s dashboard shows up the allocated connection URL based on the assigned connection settings. Connection configuration guidelines are described in the subtitles.

Charging device needs to be configured with the central system’s allocated URL. How this is done differs among different charging device implementations, as they may provide web interface, mobile device interface or configuration on screen.

Figure: Tridens EV Charge central system’s allocated connection settings for the charging station

Communication Protocol

The Communication protocol, which can be OCPP 1.6 or 2.0.1 specifies the protocol your charging station uses to communicate.

Figure: Communication protocol selection for the charging station on the Tridens EV Charge’s central system dashboard

Connection Identifier

Unique Connection identifier needs to be assigned for the charging station on Tridens EV Charge, so the device can be identified when communicating with the central system.

Figure: Connection identifier of the the charging station, as assigned on the Tridens EV Charge’s central system

Connection Policy

Connection policies as security profiles for the selected communication protocol between the charging device and the Tridens EV Charge’s central system.

Connection policy options:

1. WSS: WebSocket encrypted communication.

2. WSS with Authentication: WebSocket encrypted communication which requires authentication credentials, by which the charger is verified for the access rights.

3. Disabled: Connection and communication not allowed.

Figure: Connection policy selection for the charging station on Tridens EV Charge dashboard

Connection Example

Given the WebSocket URL link:

wss://app.tridenstechnology.com/ev-charge/gw-comm/your-charging-company/station-01

Breaking down the link:

wss   # Communication protocol.

app.tridenstechnology.com   # Tridens server address.

/ev-charge/gw-comm/your-charging-company   # Allocated service path.

station-01   # The unique identifier of your charging station.

The WebSocket URL link (wss://app.tridenstechnology.com/ev-charge/gw-comm/your-charging-company/station-01) should be configured into your charging station. Then, your station will send a handshake request to EV Charge to establish a connection; it follows this order:

1. Your station introduces itself as station-01 through the handshake request.
2. EV Charge checks if the unique identifier (station-01) is a valid identifier of a charging station in its system.
3. A successful connection is made if it is a valid identifier.

Additional notes about WSS charger connection with Tridens’ central system. There are multiple ways to use WSS:

• WSS without authentication.
• WSS with basic authentication, accepting username/pass combination.
• WSS with basic authentication, accepting token.

Troubleshooting when unable to establish the connection with the central system:

• Ensure that the charger is configured to automatically reconnect to the central system, if for any reason disconnection occurs.
• Charger’s on-site configuration, if settings are reset for any reason.
• Charger’s network stability.

Charger’s session settings

See Session Rating Settings.

Boot Configuration

Configuration of actions which are performed once the charging station connects to the Tridens EV Charge’s central system. Boot configuration settings are used to synchronize the charger with the central system, once the connection is established.

To access this section in EV Charge, from the Menu, click Stations. A paginated list of all stations is shown in a tabular format. Click Actions for the specific station. On the station’s page, click Update on the top right corner to access Edit Station page.

The following are the boot configuration settings:

• Trigger boot notification: Trigger station to send the boot notification after the connection establishment. It synchronizes the charging device’s information on Tridens EV Charge central system, by triggering the charging device to report the boot notification. Information include data of serial number, vendor, model, firmware version, modem ICCID, modem IMSI.

• Trigger status notification: Trigger station to send charger/connector status reports, so system obtains the latest status values after the connection establishment. It synchronizes the status of charger and connectors by triggering the charging device to report the latest statuses.

• Trigger heartbeat: Trigger heartbeat for station’s clock sync after the connection establishment with the central system. It synchronizes the charger’s clock to the clock of the Tridens EV Charge’s central system, after the connection establishment between the charging device and the central system.

• Clear charging profiles: Clears any previously set charging profiles with limits on the station. Any configured profiles will apply after. Wattage/amperage limits on the charging device can be set by using the charging profiles configuration. See Charging Profiles Configuration.

Figure: Charging station’s boot configuration on Tridens EV Charge dashboard

Live Configuration Parameters

Live configuration parameters/variables for OCPP can be read from the charge point or set to the charge point without any database persistence.

Supported standardized variables constitute the following:

• General variables
• Transactional variables
• Metering variables

General variables

Transactional variables

Metering variables