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EV CHARGING EQUIPMENT

John Peckham
I am hearing from my network of contractors, that have actually read the new 722, that they have been asking charging equipment manufactures for documentary proof to comply with Note 5 of 722.411.4.


They are getting knocked back for asking or in one case a Declaration that says the particular device complies with BS 7671. I think that is wrong to declare that as BS 7671 is an installation safety standard and not a product standard. I believe that as a minimum the equipment must comply with the Low Voltage Directive and be CE marked. I also believe that manufacturers have to issue a Declaration of Conformity. 


BS 7671 722 has numerous references to the various standards required such as BS EN 61851 that the equipment must comply with. I am thinking it may be illegal to offer the sale of equipment that does not comply with the Low Voltage Directive and is not CE marked?


I am hoping the countries top man of equipment safety standards, Paul Skyrme , sees this post and will come on and give us his expert view?


Has any forum member asked for a Declaration of Conformity from EV charging equipment manufacturers and received one?
  • Former Community Member
    0 Former Community Member
    It has to be opened up to be wired when fitted Andy! ;)


    As far as inspection goes, for something that is likely running at 13A for maybe 10 or 12 hours at a time, possibly more, on a regular basis wouldn't you want to pop the front off and take a peek?


    I agree it would be better on the exterior of the outlet, but then again that is why things like BS 1363 & BS 7671 go through a DPC stage, for those of us who have to work with them to make comments on getting them created in a manner which makes our lives easier.
  • 0
    A shaver socket gets an infographic and a label  which spoils it sleek design when it is going to be installed in a swish bathroom, but the it seems 13-amp EV sockets need to remain unblemished even though they are intended to be installed on a wall outside or within a garage and in the majority of installations are going to be covered with a lid to get the required IP rating; and labelling on the front of a USB charger built into a 13-amp plug socket is obligatory.


    Mind you you may still need to partially dismantle the installation to check the the BS number on the back of the shaver socket if it’s a make you are unfamiliar with.


    Being familiar with products is probably the key to the issue, most electricians once familiar with a particular brand of product that is easy to install and does not cause them or their customers issues will stick with that brand indefinitely and specify whenever possible.


    Going right back to the original post, once JP finds a manufacturer whose products he feels he can confidently specify I bet it will need quite a bit of persuasion to get him to swap to another brand, so you think that the manufacturers would all be working hard to get him onboard.


    Andy Betteridge 


  • 0
    Regards taking a peek inside any socket back box you, particularly an outdoor socket of any kind you work through the mental check list:
    • Does it look like a tidy installation.

    • How long has it been installed.

    • Is the enclosure intact, including the lid or has the IP ratings been compromised.

    • Does the socket have signs of thermal damage or is it cracked,

    • Testing without disassembly, R1+R2 or R2, insulation, polarity, single pole protective devices in the live phase, earth loop impedance and RCD times.

    • Whatever I have forgotten to write down, but would just check by habit on the day.


    We should know a lot about the socket before we decide to start digging out the sealing caps over the screws holding the enclosure together to take a peek inside the back box and we should know about any specific issues we are looking for, there may be a surprise awaiting the inspector inside the back box, but most times you know there’s an issue before you open it up.


    Assuming this EV charging socket is on its own circuit what are we looking at time wise to check the socket and circuit, twenty five minutes? So there probably is time to take it apart as you are supposed to take some fittings apart during the inspection.


     Andy Betteridge
  • 0

    Paul Skyrme:

    It has to be opened up to be wired when fitted Andy! ;)


    As far as inspection goes, for something that is likely running at 13A for maybe 10 or 12 hours at a time, possibly more, on a regular basis wouldn't you want to pop the front off and take a peek?


    I agree it would be better on the exterior of the outlet, but then again that is why things like BS 1363 & BS 7671 go through a DPC stage, for those of us who have to work with them to make comments on getting them created in a manner which makes our lives easier.



    It shouldn't be more than 10A for a "granny lead".

     

  • 0


    Not that the majority of people who actually use 13-amp sockets for charging EVs are likely to understand the risks of using an unmarked socket anyway.

     


     

    I think it's safest to assume that the owner of an EV with a "granny lead" will plug it into the first 13A socket that comes to hand, whatever it may say on the back of the socket.


    But the lead isn't just an extension lead with a funny plug on the end.  The box of electronics in it will include some form of safety monitoring, including an RCD function.
  • 0

    Sparkingchip:
    A shaver socket gets an infographic and a label  which spoils it sleek design when it is going to be installed in a swish bathroom, but the it seems 13-amp EV sockets need to remain unblemished even though they are intended to be installed on a wall outside or within a garage and in the majority of installations are going to be covered with a lid to get the required IP rating; and labelling on the front of a USB charger built into a 13-amp plug socket is obligatory.


     



     

     

    There must also be a  label adjacent or on the front face stating "suitable for electric vehicle charging", 722.55.101.0.201.1 (I)

    I asked for one in my local merchant and they said never heard of it but can get one printed up, at a price.

    It is not clear from the reg that using a sharpie and writing EV on the back of the faceplate of a normal bs1363-2 would not comply.
  • 0
    True, but a “13-amp EV charging station” (someone writing one of the Screwfix reviews was critical of that description) is open to far more abuse and misuse than a dedicated EV charging point ever will be.


    The EV charging granny lead could be connected using one or more extension leads, possibly extending it out onto the public highway and be trailing across a foot path.


    Andy B.
  • 0

    OlympusMons:




    Sparkingchip:
    A shaver socket gets an infographic and a label  which spoils it sleek design when it is going to be installed in a swish bathroom, but the it seems 13-amp EV sockets need to remain unblemished even though they are intended to be installed on a wall outside or within a garage and in the majority of installations are going to be covered with a lid to get the required IP rating; and labelling on the front of a USB charger built into a 13-amp plug socket is obligatory.


     



     

     

    There must also be a  label adjacent or on the front face stating "suitable for electric vehicle charging", 722.55.101.0.201.1 (I)


    On the front face? I'm sure BS 7671 Regulation 722.55.101.0.201.1 (i)  does NOT specify that the socket-outlet itself has the manufacturer's label "EV" on the front face !

    Clause 7.1 of BS 1363-2 says that the socket-outlet must be marked with the standard number "BS 1363", in 7. 1(b), and that if the socket-outlet is suitable for EV charging, "/EV" must follow it (in the same way that "BS 1363/A" is a portable socket-outlet). Such marking is usually provided, along with the voltage and current rating, on the rear.


    The difference from a normal socket-outlet to BS 1363-2 is that, for a BS 1363/EV socket-outlet, cyclic loadings tests are different, and there are special conditions for the breaking capacity and normal operational tests.


    However,722.55.101.0.201.1 does say that the installer should put a label on  the front face or, or near, the socket-outlet, unless there is no possibility of confusion, stating "Suitable for electric vehicle charging". This is for the user.


    The IET Code of Practice for EV Charging Equipment Installation, in Section 4.9, also recommends that a BS 1363/EV socket-outlet is labelled as such by the installer to help consumers understand which socket-outlet to use for their vehicle ... but this should only be done for BS 1363/EV socket-outlets fully installed in accordance with the CoP.


    In general, it is recommended that dedicated charging equipment (Mode 3 or Mode 4) is provided where practicable.

     



    I asked for one in my local merchant and they said never heard of it but can get one printed up, at a price.




    Well, hopefully my explanation above shows why

     

    It is not clear from the reg that using a sharpie and writing EV on the back of the faceplate of a normal bs1363-2 would not comply.



    The Regulation, along with the reference standard BS 1363-2, explains why a sharpie hand-mark on the rear would not do, and BS 7671 still requires a user instruction label on the front - this could be, at its simplest, printed from something like a standard label printing machine.

     

  • 0
    Hi Graham, I don't own a copy of bs1363-2 and was unaware of clause 7.1(b). However my point was that the quoted reg is unclear. If it meant that the socket outlet should have bs1363/EV printed on its rear by the OEM, then that is what it should say. not "a socket outlet complying with bs1363-2 marked "EV" on its rear"

    The same reg says an additional label shall be provided on the "front face" which is what I was referring to at the start of the above post. It does say "except where there is no possibility of confusion" and I apologise if my post caused any.
  • 0

    Sparkingchip:

    The EV charging granny lead could be connected using one or more extension leads, possibly extending it out onto the public highway and be trailing across a foot path.




    Or even across the highway!


    If a charging lead has a BS 1363 plug on the end, it may be expected that some users will plug it into the nearest convenient socket.


    But we are getting away from JP's OP. Does any manufacturer make a fully certified and documented device?


    This is one reason why I am not in a rush to get an EV.

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