Load management for charging infrastructure

Save costs & protect electrical systems

In order to operate your charging infrastructure safely and cost-effectively, SMATRICS offers you a load management add-on tailored to your needs, with which you can reduce both the one-off and ongoing costs of your grid connection.

By adhering to all power limits, load management allows you to avoid unwanted additional payments to your grid operator. Even if many electric vehicles are charging at your charging infrastructure at the same time, smooth operation is guaranteed and the triggering of fuses is prevented.

Load management features at a glance

Load management is a central component for the smooth operation of charging stations. In addition to the demand-based distribution of power loads, SMATRICS load management enables the joint control of AC & DC charging stations, regardless of the hardware manufacturer.

Static and dynamic load management
Rolling charging with equal distribution
Flexible clustering with suitable limits

Load management briefly explained

Ronald Lausch, CSO SMATRICS, on the advantages of intelligent load management (video in German):

Load management from SMATRICS in action

Innovative companies rely on load management from SMATRICS for efficient charging infrastructure

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OMV
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METRO
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Mercedes Benz
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Volvo
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ITVT
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CeramTec
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FCC
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Bauhaus
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Fernwasserversorgung Franken
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Hyundai Intercar

Static vs. dynamic load management

Load management limits the maximum charging current when many electric vehicles are charging at the same time. A distinction is made between two types:

Static load management: The power consumption of charging stations is limited so as not to exceed the fixed static overall limit for the charging infrastructure.
Dynamic load management: The total limit of the charging infrastructure changes dynamically - depending on current consumption and generation. Excess PV charging in particular can be easily realized with this.

How does static load management work?

Static load management is best suited for...

... a cost-effective solution without an energy meter. Here, the charging infrastructure and building consumers share a grid connection point. The charging infrastructure is assigned a static total limit.

... a grid connection point that is provided exclusively for the charging infrastructure. Here too, the charging infrastructure is assigned a static total limit.

If the charging infrastructure is fully utilized, static load management ensures that the individual e-vehicles receive a reduced charging capacity.

Although this increases the duration of charging processes, depending on the location and time of day (e.g. during working hours or at home), this is hardly significant.

The aim of load management is both to enable the efficient charging of e-vehicles and to save costs by reducing the grid limit.

How does dynamic load management work?

Dynamic load management is particularly useful if the charging infrastructure is supplied together with building consumers via a grid connection. Energy meters can be used to determine the current power values of the building loads and make the available power available to the charging infrastructure.

Dynamic load management reduces the grid limit and helps to save costs. The available grid connection power is optimally utilized and load peaks are avoided.

This plays an important role in the use of PV surplus charging, for example, where additional power makes it possible to provide energy for charging.

The required charging power is shifted to times when there is less consumption in the building. The aim here is also to ensure that all e-vehicles are charged as required for the next journey.

Additional load management features

Rolling Charging

If several vehicles are charging at the same time, so-called “rolling charging” ensures that the grid

the grid limit is not exceeded and
each e-vehicle is still charged on a recurring basis.

Charging clusters & Limits

Charging clusters are used where several sub-distributors need to be individually protected. This occurs, for example, in underground parking garages where one sub-distributor is provided per level.

With SMATRICS you are flexible - you can implement dynamic load management at the grid connection and at the same time provide static limits for the sub-distribution of the charging clusters.

This ensures that each charging cluster is optimally protected and at the same time ensures that free power from other areas of the grid connection (e.g. in the building or from other clusters) can be used.

Would you like to use load management?

SMATRICS supports you as an experienced and reliable partner in the implementation. Get in touch:

Frequently asked questions about load management

For more information about our software solutions and e-mobility services, please refer to our B2B FAQs.

Depending on the hardware selected, the available power can be distributed across up to 200 charging points.

These charging points can be combined into charging groups / charging clusters to easily and efficiently replicate the actual building installation.

Yes, you can set individual load limits for each cluster separately.

How many load groups/clusters can be grouped?

Carlo Gavazzi's EM420 energy meter is used for energy metering.

Yes, other (large) consumers can have a significant influence on the charging capacity of the charging infrastructure.

If the power available at the grid connection is insufficient to operate all charging points at the minimum value (6 A per phase / 4.2 kW), the charging process at individual charging points is paused on a rolling basis.

If there are connection problems between the wallboxes, the power of each charging point is automatically