EV charging Pillar -is a surge protection device required?

Question

As a manufacturer of ac EV chargers, our pillar is an aluminium tube made for car parks. 
 Is a surge protection device a requirement or a recommendation?

mapj1 · Accepted Answer

As the maker, it is for you to decide if it needs more protection over and above that which you already have built in. 
 What voltage surge do you (or if you are assembling other folk's modules rather than building, then the designers of the electronic giblets) test to when IEC 61000 testing for type approval? wikepedia entry on the surge test part of the standard - as a guide 6kv surge withstand is usual for things like meters connected direct to an incoming line while 2.5kV or even 1.5kV is a more common level for things that are considered appliances. I'd suggest as a starting point, that if either of the latter two you recommend strongly to your customers that they install additional surge protection. 
 Regs wise makers instructions trump all else in such a case. 
 Mike

AJJewsbury · Answer

BS 7671's current stance is that "protection against transient overvoltages shall be provided unless the owner of the installation declares it is not required due to any loss or damage being tolerable and they accept the risk of damage to equipment and any consequential loss" - so I guess that boils down to a recommendation as far as SPDs in the installation are concerned. 
 I don't know if EVs could produce switching overvoltages (being relatively large current loads), if so SPDs might still need to be considered. 
 If the charge points are connected to a different Earthing system from the main installation (e.g. on a TT island, from a TN main installation) then any SPDs in the main installation may not adequately protect the charge point/EV so might have to be repeated. 
 I'm not sure if the equipment standard for charge points (BS EN 61851?) has any requirements for SPDs within the equipment itself. 
 - Andy.

EV charging Pillar -is a surge protection device required?

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