SIMCom Modules Energize EV Charging Stations

The Global EV Market

Recently, electric vehicles (EVs) have been introduced as an alternative method of transportation to help mitigate environmental issues, such as carbon emissions and fuel consumption, caused by conventional transportation systems. According to Clean Technica, global sales of EVs (passenger vehicles) jumped 108% in 2021, reaching nearly 6.5 million units, which is the highest growth rate since 2012. Deloitte forecasts there will be a compound annual growth rate of 29 per cent for EV, total sales reaching 31.1 million by 2030 as a result of a slowdown in ICE sales. To date, more than 20 countries have announced the full phase-out of internal combustion engine (ICE) car sales over the next 1030 years. Undoubtedly, the world transport has switched tracks entering an era of EVs.

The Charging Station Market

The increasing EVs sales subsequently leads to the growth of EV infrastructure. Market&Markets forecasts that the global electric vehicle charging station market size is projected to grow from 2,354 thousand units in 2022 to 14,623 thousand units by 2027, at a CAGR of 44.1%.

Government regulations to make charging station setup mandatory in major countries will speed up the demand for EV charging stations. The U.S. Infrastructure Bill would set aside $7.5 billion to install 500,000 public charging points by 2030. The UK also recently introduced building codes requiring newly established homes, workplaces and retail spaces to install charging points, with an estimated increase of 145,000 a year.

Technological developments like portable charging stations, bi-directional charging, smart charging with load management, usage-based analytics and automated payment along with development of ultra-fast charging technology will create new opportunities in this market.

Why charging stations are turning to cellular connectivity

There has also been a growing demand for public charging stations around the world. However, public charging stations always have their own problems. For example, many charging stations require pre-existing accounts and will not let costumer pay the bill easily if one doesn’t have one. Some charging stations are nowhere to find and some have already been out of service but the operator never shows up to fix them. And before the user get there, one can never know the type of plug and power output rate at the station.

Accordingly, fast and reliable cellular connectivity is vital for efficient management of the charging process. Smart charging system based on wireless communication, involving massive data exchange between the different network entities including the vehicles, the charging piles and the people, is expected to build a communication infrastructure that enables facilities maintenance, load balancing, charge scheduling and billing services.

The Cellular products SIMCom offers

LTE Cat.1 and LTE-M networks have showed great potentials in the deployment of EV charging system because of LTE's reliable network coverage and stable signal. To meet the various demands of customers in different regions, SIMCom has launched LTE Cat. 1 module SIM7600 series, A7672E series, A7682E series, LPWA module SIM7070 series and SIM7080 series for EV charging market. Those modules have acquired major regulatory and carrier certifications covering a worldwide market. Strict testing procedure and quality control enable them to provide consistent and reliable connectivity for the deployment of EV charging facilities.

SIM7600 series

The SIM7600X series is based on Qualcomm chipset. It is a module designed for global market, supporting multiple wireless communication modes with maximum 10 Mbps downlink rate and 5Mbps uplink rate. The SIM7600X series has acquired global mainstream regulatory and telecom carrier certifications, which can help customers quickly expand globally. Hence, the module is favored by customers from all over the world.

The Key features of SIM7600X series including:

-Compact and Reliable Hardware Design

-Advanced RF Performance Design

-Rich Peripheral Interfaces

-Software Features & Capabilities Optimized for IoT

-Complete Global Module Certifications

-Regional variants available for EMEA/Japan/North America/LATAM/Oceania market

A7672X series

The A7672E series is a cost-effective LTE Cat.1 module solution. The maximum downlink rate is up to 10Mbps and uplink rate up to 5Mbps.It adopts flexible design in terms of form factor and compatibility to facilitate customer’s product design and planning.

The key features of A7672X series including:

-Form Factor 24.0x24.0mm, small size hardware design

-LTE Cat.1 with 2G fallback, support LTE Cat.1/Cat.1 Bis Protocol

-Built-in GNSS/BT5.0 function (optional)

-Form Factor compatible with SIM7000/SIM7070/SIM800F series

-Dual SIM function support

-Low Cost for LTE Cat.1 solution

A7682E series

The A7682E series is in ultra-small size with perfect performance. It supports maximum 10Mbps downlink rate and 5Mbps uplink rate. In addition to supporting a variety of network types, it also integrates abundant interfaces leaving much ease in product development.

The key features of A7682E series including:

-Super Small size: 19.6*19.6mm

-LTE Cat.1 with 2G fallback, support LTE Cat.1/Cat.1 Bis Protocol

-Form Factor compatible with SIM800C/SIM868 series

-Dual SIM function support

-Good solution for migration from 2G/3G to LTE

LTE Cat. 1 modules can fully meet the requirements of medium data transmission rate and voice interaction of the charging station. It enables the interconnection among traffic, people and charging station. By connecting the charging station to the server, the operator can access and manage the charging station remotely. Users can position of nearby charging stations easily and learn about the availability of charging piles in advance. What’s more, the mobile payment can be quickly completed with the support of LTE Cat. 1 network.

The LTE Cat.M series

The SIM7070 series and SIM7080 series are also applicable in charging piles in low data rate scenarios. Besides metering the power consumption, they can also be used to collect the data of user’s behavior such as the queue time people accept, the type of charger with higher frequency of use and so on. The operator may adjust business strategies accordingly.

The key features of SIMCom LTE Cat.M series including:

-LPWAN connectivity solution for IoT market

-Embedded GNSS receiver

-Advanced Power Consumption Performance

-Integrated Rich network Protocols for IoT applications

-Complete Global Module Certifications

-Easy migration from SIMCom 2G/LPWA modules

At present, because of stable and reliable performance of the SIMCom LTE Cat. 1 and Cat.M modules，they have been widely applied in the charging station market . SIMCom will continue to support the wider deployment of charging station around the world and provide the impetus for their intelligent evolution.