EV100 test instruments help fault-finding on AC electric vehicle charging equipment

One of the UK’s leading EV charging infrastructure companies has become one of the first to utilise new test technology for fast and efficient fault finding and maintenance of charging installations.

Elm Electric Vehicle Charging Solutions has equipped its service and maintenance team with the new EV100 test instrumentation developed by Seaward for comprehensive validation testing and fault finding on all types of AC electric vehicle charging equipment.

Elm EV is a leading independent electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) company and has been responsible for over 2,000 charging point installations for private and public sector clients throughout the UK, including many large employers and healthcare organisations.

As well as installing and commissioning new EV charging equipment, Elm operates a team of engineers that provides maintenance and service packages, as well as fault finding diagnosis and equipment repairs to ensure that charge points remain fully functional.

When connected to the charging point, the handheld EV100 carries out all of the tests to ensure that EVSE operates correctly and safely at the time of installation and as part of any ongoing periodic maintenance schedules, in accordance with IEC 61851.

For diagnostic testing, the dedicated EV100 tester also simulates a number of vehicle faults and measures the EVSE response, including disconnection time and the amplitude, frequency and duty cycle of the PWM signal.

As well as carrying out basic field tests, more detailed diagnostic data from the charge point is retained in the unit and can be transferred to a mobile Android app using NFC wireless communications. This comprehensive technical data can then be quickly sent to a specialist engineer or head office location for full remote fault diagnosis and records management purposes.

Elm is using the new tester as part of its installation, service and fault finding activities. Technical director Anthony Piggott, said: “Our clients recognise the importance of having a fully functioning EV charging system available at all times and our service and maintenance programme is designed to ensure that any problems are identified and rectified quickly.

“The EV100 is unique in enabling us to run the full range of diagnostic tests quickly and simply, helping our engineers work more efficiently and smarter. In particular, the easy to use smartphone App with very reliable software means all results can be documented and retained for the client.

“From a professional service point of view, this also means that we can easily produce test and quality certificates for clients to demonstrate the checks we have run and reassure them that their equipment is in proper working order.”

The Seaward EV100 automatically carries out an extensive set of EVSE tests and measurements including output voltage, maximum available charging current, earth loop impedance and RCD trip time. Insulation tests are also carried out on the EV charging cable to verify safety for users.