With the growing awareness of environmental protection among people and the promotion and support for new energy vehicles (NEVs) by countries around the world, NEVs, especially electric vehicles (EVs), will occupy an increasingly important position in the automotive market. The development and popularization of EVs are complementary to the construction of charging piles. According to reports, from January to December 2023, the number of public charging piles in China increased by 930,000, with the stock of public charging piles growing by 51% year-on-year; the number of private charging piles (installed with vehicles) increased by 2.457 million compared to the end of 2022, and the stock of private charging piles rose by 69% year-on-year.
As of August 2023, the total number of various charging piles built across China exceeded 6.6 million. In the 2023 incremental market, the ratio of pure electric vehicles to charging piles has reached 1:1, which is absolutely several times higher than that of other countries in the world. However, given the rapid growth in the number of EVs, there is still enormous market space for the construction of charging piles.
Large state-owned enterprises such as State Grid Corporation of China and China Southern Power Grid, as well as many private enterprises, are investing heavily in the construction of supporting charging facilities such as EV charging stations and charging piles. As the two major power grids have formulated plans to build EV charging piles and charging stations on a large scale nationwide, the construction of EV charging piles has entered a fast track. In short, China’s EV market is still in a stage of rapid development, and the number of charging piles is far from meeting people’s normal needs. It is believed that the industry will continue to develop at a high speed.
Charging piles are subdivided into two categories: DC piles (fast charging) and AC piles (slow charging).
- DC Charging Piles: They are relatively large in size and feature high voltage, high power, and fast charging. They have higher requirements for the power grid and are usually built in locations such as highway service areas and bus depots. Therefore, their quantity is relatively small, accounting for about 20%.
- AC Charging Piles: They have a relatively lower unit price and are easier to install. They are usually owned by individuals, so they are large in quantity, widely distributed, and account for more than 80%.
The overall system of electric vehicle (EV) charging piles includes: EV charging piles, concentrators, battery management systems (BMS), charging management service platforms, etc.
EV charging piles feature high technological content, and their construction and operation differ from the traditional gas station model. They are characterized by a larger quantity, scattered distribution, and difficulty in management. If a manual management model similar to that of gas stations is adopted, both the initial construction costs and subsequent operational costs will be extremely high, and it may even be completely unfeasible. High-tech facilities must be managed using technological means. Adopting a “large-scale networking” model for real-time connectivity, enabling unattended operation, and completing monitoring, detection, billing, and maintenance through a centralized management platform is an inevitable trend. This process involves extensive use of automation, intelligent technology, AI, and cloud computing, but the primary challenge to address is the networking of charging piles.
For vehicles, charging piles function similarly to fuel dispensers. The uniqueness of their purpose means the charging pile industry will face the following challenges:
- Numerous and scattered locations: Charging piles are widely distributed, large in quantity, and highly dispersed. A large number of charging piles are needed in locations such as roadside parking lots, underground parking lots, and highway service areas to facilitate EV owners in finding charging facilities easily.
- Display of charging status: Charging takes a long time, resulting in prolonged waiting for owners. Many owners are unwilling to wait, so real-time charging data must be provided to them, and billing data must be authentic, valid, and verifiable.
- Charging metering and billing: Billing is based on the amount of electricity consumed. Real-time linkage with the data center’s billing system is required, and billing data and information must be stored while ensuring system security—all of which depend on a highly reliable private network.
- Operation and maintenance (O&M) of charging piles: Charging piles have a complex structure, making maintenance and management difficult. The realization of unattended operation must be supported by a robust, real-time online O&M management system.
- Security of charging piles: Most charging piles operate in unattended environments, making them vulnerable to theft and vandalism, which poses significant security risks. Real-time video surveillance is essential to ensure their safety.
Based on the above requirements, it is evident that power grids are already densely distributed in both urban and rural areas. During the construction of charging piles, issues such as power transformation, distribution, and power access are not difficult to resolve. However, communication for charging pile billing, management, security, and status detection has become one of the bottlenecks restricting charging pile construction. Whether it involves charging status and billing, or the management and maintenance of the charging piles themselves, the real-time performance, authenticity, and reliability of data transmission must be guaranteed. In particular, video surveillance services require large bandwidth. If dedicated lines from telecom operators are fully leased, the subsequent rental costs will become unsustainable (in extreme cases, the revenue from charging may not even cover the network rental or data traffic fees). Therefore, a more suitable method is needed to address the challenge of “low-cost, high-reliability, secure remote large-capacity networking.” Guoxin Longxin’s “Internet + Operation” Networking Solution for Smart EV Charging Piles is the optimal solution developed to meet this demand.
Technically, there is no issue with using dedicated data lines leased from telecom operators for charging pile networking. However, the annual cost of several tens of thousands of yuan per dedicated line is clearly inconsistent with the demand for low-cost investment from charging pile operators. On the other hand, if only low costs are considered, using civilian-grade 4G/5G equipment to transmit data “exposed” on the Internet will fail to meet the requirements for system reliability and security. Such applications face the challenge of reducing costs while ensuring networking security and reliability. Therefore, since genuine private networks are unaffordable, encrypted “virtual private networks (VPNs)” based on the Internet are the most suitable choice.
In response to the actual networking and operation needs of charging piles, Guoxin Longxin, leveraging its years of experience in the Internet of Things (IoT) industry and the company’s high-quality network access products, has developed an “Internet + Operation” networking solution for charging piles. This solution effectively addresses the network construction challenges faced by the development of charging piles.
The Cloud Interconnection SD-CX (SDN-based Cloud Exchange) solution, derived from Guoxin Longxin’s 4G/5G multi-mode gateway products, can be described as a “magic tool” for applications such as “Internet + Operation” for charging piles. By using VPN multi-mode gateways to build a WAN-based “virtual private network” system, charging pile billing information, management and operation data, and video surveillance information can be accessed via Internet broadband, dedicated lines, or 4G LTE networks, enabling convenient centralized management and scientific operation.
The iMAX-4GW300 is a dual-mode wireless gateway system under the iMWB brand, supporting both iMAX Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN) and 4G LTE (note: corrected from “4D LTE” to “4G LTE” per industry terminology). It can be used as an integrated switching gateway platform for multiple access methods, including fiber access (requiring configuration of Guoxin Longxin’s FiberDC-IDU), LAN interconnection, MPLS dedicated line access, Internet broadband access, iMAX WMAN private network, and 4G Internet access.
The iMWB-5GW1000 is a 5G multi-mode wireless gateway system under the iMWB brand. It supports both 5G Wide Area Network (WAN) (SA & NSA) and WiFi 6 Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) coverage (2.4GHz & 5.8GHz), and provides 2 Ethernet ports, which can be used as an edge VPN access gateway for cloud exchange platforms. While leveraging WiFi 6 wireless technology to achieve high bandwidth, high reliability, and high capacity, it also supports 5G network access from telecom operators’ public networks, providing users with more flexible and optimal wireless networking solutions.
This solution is an Internet-based solution built on cloud platforms. Users can choose a private cloud, a public cloud, or a hybrid cloud, and connect scattered charging pile networks into a private network over a wide area network (WAN) using VPN tunnel encryption technology. Furthermore, Guoxin Longxin’s solution is constructed with a hardware-VPN-device-centric approach of “VPN server + VPN gateway”, which undoubtedly offers superior reliability and security.
This solution offers numerous advantages:
- Multi-network Integration: It intelligently connects discrete charging piles into a unified network, enabling centralized management of data (operation & billing data, charging pile status, O&M and control data, etc.).
- Security Monitoring: Surveillance videos can be transmitted back to the command center on demand, allowing real-time awareness of the surrounding environment. When combined with video AI algorithms, it can trigger timely alarms and collect evidence if charging facilities are vandalized, providing proof for case investigation.
- Billing & O&M: Data exchange between charging piles and the central server can be encrypted. The operation center can perform real-time remote management and maintenance of on-site equipment, ensuring efficient operations.
- Security & Reliability: This solution accounts for the needs of multiple network access methods, with a strong focus on security through VPN, data encryption, and network isolation. It offers greater flexibility in deployment and can adapt to different scenarios.
- Flexible Access: Supporting multiple access methods enables flexible system deployment. In particular, the iMAX-4GW300 supports the Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN) mode, which allows wireless private network interconnection under short-distance and unobstructed conditions. This further reduces link rental fees or data package costs, lowering the overall networking expenses and effectively cutting operational costs.
Note: For locations where Internet broadband access is already available, a VPN gateway for wired broadband can also be used to access the virtual private network, resulting in even lower costs.
In summary, Guoxin Longxin’s Cloud Interconnection SD-CX solution can connect all IP terminals potentially used for charging piles, including embedded hosts, IP cameras, PLCs, sensors, IP broadcasts, and large screens. To a certain extent, this solution can address the networking needs of any device based on TCP/IP networks. As an IP network channel, whether for wired or wireless connections, optical networks or wireless networks, we adhere to the principle of recommending what users need and what is suitable for them, and customize comprehensive link solutions for users. Our core focus has always been on network security and stability, as well as the availability, practicality, and sustainability of operations.
Based on years of experience in successfully delivering such projects, Guoxin Longxin can customize the most suitable “Internet + Operation” networking solution for charging piles to meet users’ personalized needs.
