The clock is ticking for home EV charger manufacturers to get listed as compliant with new guidelines in South Australia.
First, a couple of terms that are handy to know.
- EVSE – Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment. Basically, a charger1.
- EVSDE – Electric Vehicle Supply and Discharge Equipment. A bi-directional charger, which can also discharge an EV’s battery to the grid.
As in other states, EV uptake in South Australia is picking up pace. This is a Very Good Thing for obvious reasons, but is also accompanied by some challenges. For example, in the years ahead, EV owners collectively plugging their cars in to charge when they get home from work could add significantly to evening peak demand, putting mains electricity infrastructure under greater pressure.
South Australia’s Department for Energy and Mining (DEM) has been working to introduce local demand response (DR) capability requirements for certain types of appliances, including electric vehicle chargers. Those requirements will soon make prime time – from July 1, 2024, any new installation of hard-wired EVSE/EVSDE will need to meet the new guidelines and be on the equipment compliance list.
In a nutshell, compliance with the new guidelines can be achieved with one of the following:
- OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol) 1.6 (V2) or higher – listed as ‘OCPP 1.6 (V2)’
- ANSI/CTA 2045-B – listed as ‘ANSI/CTA-2045-B’ (American National Standards Institute’s “Modular Communications Interface for Energy Management”)
- Meets “Deemed to Comply” – listed as ‘DTC’
Regulatory requirements aside, OCPP 1.6 is a very handy feature to have. It enables a device to communicate with other services; for example, diverting solar power system output to charging a car. We have a Fronius Wattpilot for our BYD Atto 3 and in the past year at least 90% of our charging has been solar-only.
But in the context of the DEM’s demand response management goals, OCPP allows a DNSP/grid operator to throttle devices remotely when the grid is under peak load. Of course, internet capability is needed – also part of the requirements; as is an on-board communication port for physical connection to another device, or wireless capabilities for achieving the same.
EV Chargers Listed So Far
The registered equipment compliance list is looking a little thin at this stage given the number of products currently available on the Australian market. But it’s not uncommon for there to be a bunch of last-minute additions when power electronics guidelines change – we’ve seen the same thing happen in the past with solar inverters.
As at the time of writing, the EVSE list includes:
- Fronius Wattpilot Home and Go
- Delta Electronics AC Max Smart
- JET Charge ChargeMate
- Wallbox Australia Pulsar Plus, Pulsar Plus Socket, Pulsar Max, Pulsar Pro, Copper SB, Commander 2
- ABB Australia Terra AC
- Ohme Operations Australia Ohme ePod
The DEM notes there are many other devices available in Australia that would comply – the companies just need to register them with the Technical Regulator.
As for the EVSDE list, the cupboard is currently bare and that isn’t surprising. Bi-directional chargers are still very expensive and scarce in Australia, with regulatory and standardisation efforts ongoing.
Further details on model designations for the above devices and the most up-to-date equipment list can be found here. You can also compare EV charger specifications and pricing here, and learn everything you need to know about EV chargers here.
And if you want to see what brands installers are partial to, check out the best EV chargers of 2024. Spoiler: From the above list, only the Fronius Wattpilot scored a spot on the SQ Installers Choice Awards podium this year. But bear in mind, EVSE gear is a relative newcomer and installers are still navigating the options available.
Footnotes
- Technically speaking, the EV charger is part of the car, while the box on the wall just delivers power; with various bells and buzzers thrown in for how it goes about it. Some devices are smarter than others. ↩
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Stupid question (probably) but if your vehicle has V2L and you plug it into your switchboard via a changeover switch, what is stopping you exporting via your two way meter?
Hi Rod,
The changeover switch is the answer.
Connecting a generator or inverter output to the grid will blow something to bits because they’re not synchronised like a machine designed for grid connection (ie not a supplementary supply)
The C/O switch will be wired so that the supply from the grid is changed over to the supply from the car.
This device does it for you.
https://www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/hoem-review/
Thanks Anthony
We are yet to buy an EV but will keep V2L in mind when making a decision.
“We have a Fronius Wattpilot for our BYD Atto 3 and in the past year at least 90% of our charging has been solar-only.”
.
Maybe you can help me. With my Zappi there is a similar ‘solar only’ feature called eco+, however if the charger turns off due to clouds or whatever the BYD will give up after a while and assume the charger is broken. If you wake the car up with the key it’ll look at the charger again and start charging if its good to go. The only solution I have found is to ensure the car only charges during daytime using the cars settings and setting the car charger to at least charge at the slowest speed (eco).
It’s your car. It doesn’t work with OCPP compliant chargers and hence won’t play nice. BYD in their infinite wisdom decided to hobble the cars they are exporting here by not equipping them with the correct hardware/software and this will be a bigger problem when load management becomes real.
You are better off kicking up a stink about this to BYD/on social media as the vast majority of their car owners seem oblivious or apathetic to this shortcoming. The more the customer demands it, the likelier that they have to introduce some fix to the issue.
Apologies if I come across as harsh, it really has been a glaring problem that has been left completely unaddressed by the OEM. Your zappi is not the only one, other smart chargers also seem to fail in a similar way with BYD cars.
We recently bought a BMW iX1 and were given a BMW Wallbox Gen 3, but we hadn’t got around to installing it yet. I don’t see it on the list so I’m wondering if we need to scramble to get it installed before the end of June.
that would be a smart move
I’m in a similar situation except that I bought a MG ZS EV and was given a MG Charge Hub which I understand supports OCPP 1.6J.
Q1: Am I correct in thinking your comment re having it installed before the end of June allies to my situation also ?
Q2: Is OCPP 1,6J the same as the OCPP (V2) mentioned in your article ?
Thanks.
Have you seen or had experience with the Sigenergy gateway products being introduced to Aus from Germany?
Hi Peter,
We have written a review of Sigen if you’d like to search the blogs, but as I understand it they’re still in the approval process for grid connection in Australia.
Wow, so the elephant in the room is that the Tesla home charger is not on the list – which provides the best integrated experience for Tesla owners. Better get one now before they are illegal.
Tesla wall connector doesn’t have OCPP so it can only be controlled by a third party if a Tesla is plugged in (then the car does all the communication and control).
Is it true the Tesla wall connector will become illegal to install after July 1 2024 in South Australia?
“from July 1, 2024, any new installation of hard-wired EVSE/EVSDE will need to meet the new guidelines and be on the equipment compliance list.”
Tesla Wall Connector is not on the equipment compliance list at time of writing. So if Tesla don’t get it on before July, then you won’t be allowed to install one connected to the SA grid.
Going forward the requirements of all networks will mean you need a charger that’s dynamically controllable. This is not just for network stability but also for you the customer to make sure you keep retail demand charges low.
So will the Tesla Gen 3 wall connector comply or not ?
At the moment – no.
If the hardware is capable, then it is possible that Tesla implement a future software change that presents an interface for controlling charging that the Office of the Technical Regulator deem compliant.
It looks like Tesla Wall Connector just made it to the list and it is listed as OCCP 1.6 (V2). This is very interesting.
Not sure why V2G is difficult to do and indicated as expensive.
Solar inverters comply with all the grid export requirements and mostly? handle the DC voltage from a cars battery.
I assume it’s due to trying to provide the car a DC charge, when most can support a AC charge.
The car has a battery management system that would prevent the battery from going completely flat.
Is the missing component the communications between the devices and controls of what is switched on and when?
Like preventing an AC charge when DC discharge is on?