Nick Sutton, Product Manager for Smart/EV Charging at Luceco Group, updates us on the recent work that the BG SyncEV brand has been undertaking to improve its offering and casts a glance at what’s coming down the line in the future.
Q. How has the BG SyncEV offering progressed since we last caught up with you?
We’ve continued to sell the popular original compact charger alongside our 7.4kW socket and tethered chargers, and have also introduced a number of supporting accessories to market. As the 2021 EV Regulations came into full effect at the end of 2022, we took significant measures to ensure that the entire EVS and EVT range of chargers were fully compliant.
Q. What, in your opinion, are the key features and functions required to make a quality EV charging solution?
Unless it’s installed in a garage the product is typically going to spend most of its life outdoors. Therefore, the top considerations are longevity, reliability, and living up to the stated IP rating. The outer material must be resistant to UV rays from the sun, and should remain free of water-ingress without causing internal heat build-up. These are all top design considerations that our range benefits from.
Another point is the ease of which the product can be installed. If it is overly complicated, such as badly placed connectors or screws that are difficult to access, it will mean installers may look elsewhere for a solution. Our design ethos is all about making the installation as easy as possible, and providing everything needed for a job in one box.
Our feedback also shows that customers would prefer to have an attractive (and small) unit that compliments the property exterior, so we’ll be introducing the ability to swap colours on future chargers.
Q. Do you have any new launches on the horizon?
Firstly, we’re excited to announce the Wall Charger 2 – 22kW three-phase. This 22kW product can provide up to 3 x faster charging compared to a 7.4kW charger (three-phase power and a compatible car required), ensuring customers can take advantage of the increased charging speeds, and site-owners can benefit from the ability to install a larger number of chargers at one site.
Although three-phase power typically exists at commercial premises, we’re also witnessing a rise of its use for private homes. By providing three-phase power as standard, forward thinking utility providers are able to perform load balancing across power-hungry sites and, in doing-so, forward their own journey of decarbonisation.
The product is, by default, powered by Monta which provides a user-friendly charging experience to residential users, and a commercial charging offering and management portal for premises that wish to manage paid charging and benefit from customised charging rates. The charger is compatible with a wide range of OCPP compliant management solutions and can be configured to work with these during commissioning.
We have socket and tethered 7.4kW Wall Charger 2 models launching after the 22kW, with further chargers and models planned for 2024.
In terms of accessories, we’ve recently introduced a range of EV charger stands that are compatible with our 7.4kW socket and tethered and 22kW charger. They’re available in a single and twin configuration, with an anthracite grey powder coated anodised steel finished for maximum durability. Additionally, we’ll be launching a range of Mode 3 charging cables and Mode 2 chargers in varying lengths and configurations.
To further cement our position as a complete solutions provider, we’ve also launched a range of metal consumer units in high quality cast-aluminium. The 10 available models are all surge protected, come pre-wired, and are populated with BG circuit protection devices. They’re available in IP20 (interior use) and IP65 (exterior use) versions.
Browse the full BG SyncEV product range here
