Level 2 AC chargers are a popular choice for light and medium duty fleets. They are simple to install and operate, and can fully charge a car or van in as little as 4-5 hours. Given that these chargers are much more affordable and require significantly less infrastructure than DC fast chargers, they are ideal for fleets where vehicles will be resting for extended periods of time – such as overnight.
However, Level 2 chargers typically don’t provide the same vehicle data as DC fast chargers, like which vehicle is charging at which charger or the current battery level of the vehicle. While standards such as ISO 15118 are starting to address this, many vehicles lack support for these technologies. Fleets sometimes adopt strategies using RFID cards or charging apps, but introducing these extra steps for drivers often results in more complexity than benefit.
To streamline this process, we're pleased to introduce a new way to manage Level 2 charging for fleets: identifying vehicles via charger-integrated PIN codes. With the combination of a FractalEV charger and the telematics-connected Flipturn charger management system, you can now get all of the data you need to operate your fleet effectively, without having to manage any RFID cards or apps.
How does it work?
First, assign a unique numeric code to each vehicle – this can be a pre-existing vehicle number, or a new one specifically for charging. We recommend adding a decal with this number somewhere on the vehicle, like next to the charging port.
Then, charging and identifying your vehicle is as easy as:
- Plug in the vehicle
- Type in the vehicle's unique PIN code into the charger's touch screen
Charging starts automatically, and the vehicle is identified – that's it! No need to use any apps or keep track of different RFID cards.
Benefits of identifying vehicles via pin codes
When each vehicle has its own PIN code, the combined Fractal EV and Flipturn system can integrate your vehicle data with your charger data to give you next level visibility and control into your charging.
1. See which vehicles are charging, and at which chargers
Avoid situations where someone forgot to plug in their van before heading out for the day, or when charging isn't proceeding as expected. Get vehicle-by-vehicle charging cost reports.
2. See battery charge level from telematics
By pulling the vehicle's state of charge from telematics, Flipturn can show the status of the charger, charging power, and current state of charge, all in one place. Flipturn integrates with many popular telematics systems including Geotab, Samsara, and more.
3. Get an estimated time of charging completion
As a vehicle is charging, Flipturn learns how much energy it needs and predicts how long it will take to charge, so you can see if every vehicle will be ready to go on schedule.
4. Prioritize charging to critical vehicles first
Flipturn's dynamic power management algorithm takes into account different vehicle priorities. If a certain vehicle needs to be ready ASAP, set it to high priority and it will get as much power as possible, rebalancing power across the other chargers as needed.
5. Get alerts and manage power based on your driving schedule
By combining all of the information above with your fleet's schedule data, Flipturn can determine if each vehicle is on track to be charged by the start of its next route. If it isn't on track to be done, Flipturn can either send you an alert or increase the power to speed up charging.
Learn more
If you're looking to add additional Level 2 chargers to your fleet, being able to see real-time charging status, manage power on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis, and get alerts around charging issues can make a big difference in your operations.
Please reach out to hello@getflipturn.com if you want to learn more and try out this system with your fleet, or stop by the Fractal EV booth at NAFA next week!
