11 kW chargers are not always the best option for housing associations
Response to the article published by Yle on February 7, 2025:
We at IGL-Technologies Oy want to bring another perspective to the article published by Yle on February 7, 2025, “Many people don’t realize what kind of electric car charging they need – an expert reveals the best charging power.” The article can be read at https://yle.fi/a/74-20141832 .
In the article, electrical entrepreneurs presented their own, in our opinion one-sided, perspective on what efficient electric car charging devices should be chosen for a housing association. The electrical entrepreneurs in question specifically and exclusively recommended 11 kW charging devices and justified this mainly by charging speed and load management features. This thinking may have roots in the times when the Housing Finance and Development Centre ARA granted grants to housing associations that purchased electric car charging devices. The grant conditions were aimed at purchasing charging devices of at least 11 kW, as the grant was not granted if the housing association purchased less efficient charging devices, i.e. so-called slow charging devices.
The Yle story also reveals that slow chargers would be a bad option for residents of housing associations, and the only reason given is that charging an electric car takes longer when charging with a slow charger. It is true that when charging an electric car with a power of 1.8-3.6 kW, charging takes longer than if charging with a device with a power of 11 kW. However, this is not unequivocally a bad thing, there are a couple of reasons for this.
In some cases, the car being charged, especially hybrids, cannot receive much more than 3.6 kW, and most often even less. In reality, even if the power of the charging device is 11 kW, the car does not always charge at full power, but the car receives less, i.e. limits the charging power. Also, if there are several cars charging at the same time and the residents of the housing association are using electricity at home, load management comes into play and starts to limit the power of the charging devices so that the maximum electrical capacity or phase-specific current limits used by the site are not exceeded. In this case, the 11 kW charging devices cannot use their full charging power and the residents have paid for more efficient charging devices in vain.
Many cars are also parked for most of the day. The car is usually parked in the parking lot of a workplace or housing association for many hours at a time, for example during the working day or overnight. This parking time is the best time to charge an electric car or hybrid, and then a slow charger is excellent. With a slow charger, an electric car can easily be charged during the working day or overnight to provide enough range for the day's driving, usually around 100-200 km, as cars are driven an average of 50 km per day.
Slow chargers are also a cost-effective alternative for housing associations. The prices of slow chargers can be as much as a quarter of the prices of more efficient chargers, which saves the housing association significant money. In addition, in many cases, the housing association's existing electrical infrastructure for heating posts is sufficient to replace old heating posts with slow chargers that include smart features. Slow chargers do not necessarily require expensive electrical infrastructure renovations, but housing associations may be able to get by simply replacing the knobs on the heating posts with slow chargers. This saves the housing association money.
Slow charging devices also serve a wider range of housing association residents, as slow charging devices are charging devices equipped with supersuko connectors. Supersuko can therefore be used to charge an electric car as well as to use the block and interior heaters of an internal combustion engine car. Supersuko has been tested and is also safe for charging electric cars, as it can withstand a continuous current of 16 A. Residents therefore do not need to worry about the charging devices breaking.
At IGL, we recommend that housing companies and, for example, organizations with large parking areas for employees, purchase slow charging devices for almost all parking spaces. In addition to these, you can purchase a few more efficient charging devices that guarantee sufficient operating range for those who need to charge their car faster. These different charging methods can also be priced differently, which reduces the temptation to charge always and for a long time with more efficient charging devices. It has also been studied that people are not willing to move their cars, for example in the middle of the working day when the battery is full, but prefer to park in the same parking space all day. This also supports the purchase of slow charging devices.
In our opinion, the article published by Yle is directing the public debate and public opinion around charging devices and power in the wrong direction. It would be good for media with large circulation to also highlight other perspectives than just charging power, so that those considering charging issues for electric cars are aware of other options than just expensive, efficient charging devices. There are other options, and charging solutions should always be tailored to the users and the destination, rather than just focusing on the power of the charging devices. It is essential to take into account different user profiles and the destination's budget: for the same money, more simultaneous charging can be achieved at the destination if slow charging devices are purchased. In addition, we need more affordable charging options in Finland so that the goals of electrifying traffic can be achieved.
Kind regards
Antti Hiekkanen , Chief Operating Officer, IGL-Technologies Oy
Teemu Marku , Sales Director, IGL-Technologies Oy
