EVSE stands for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment which essentially means an electric vehicle charging station. These are the public and privately-located units required to charge the batteries on electric vehicles (EVs) and which are constructed and installed in accordance with 18th Edition regulations (section 722). Therefore, an EVSE testing kit is a collection of items enabling the user to fully test an EV charging station.
This equipment is an all-in-one solution for testing the safety, performance and reliability of EV charging stations, and is expected to become an essential element of an electrical tester’s armoury, as electric vehicles become more and more popular and hence charging equipment becomes increasingly prominent in everyday life.
What does an EVSE testing kit look like?
An EVSE testing kit comprises of the main instrument and all associated accessories, which can include probes, test leads and software and which can all be stored together in a convenient carry case. Because an EVSE testing kit is an all-in-one solution, the instrument itself is small, compact and mobile. So it can be handled easily and is able to be transported simply between charging stations, making testing fast and efficient.
The main instrument is hand-held, has front-facing dials and function buttons, top-facing probe and lead ports and a large LCD screen for test selection, menu navigation, instrument operation and for viewing test results. Some EVSE instruments can be combined with a multi-function tester that has the EVSE software pre-installed. This enables the user to link the two units and carry out the full range of safety and reliability checks on the installation.
Most EVSE testing kits are:
- Easy-to-use
- Fast and accurate
- Light and mobile
- Enable auto testing and easy functionality
- Enable the user to store data and results internally or export to laptops or mobile devices
What tests does an EVSE testing kit do?
An EVSE testing instrument effectively simulates an electric vehicle and presents the user with the conditions that the charging station would be faced with. So these conditions would include a vehicle that is plugged into the charging station and is waiting for charge, a vehicle plugged into the charging station and is not waiting for charge, and a vehicle plugged into the charging station, waiting for charge and with an electric fault condition.
In order to test the safety, reliability and performance of the EV charging station, the EVSE tester will carry out:
- No trip loop testing
- In-depth RCD testing
- Mode 2 and 3 AC EV charge points testing
- Fault simulation capabilities
Some units include an auto sequence functionality which guides the user through the testing sequence and explains where to plug-in the test leads and what dial positions you need on the unit for each part of the sequence. For each test this guided help screen will make the process quick and simple for the user.
Who would use an EVSE testing kit?
EV charging stations are now a common feature in car parks, supermarkets, commercial premises and garage forecourts. They can also be found on-street in residential areas and of course on people’s private properties. EV testing is therefore done by a range of qualified personnel, including electricians and electrical engineers.
And because EVSE is becoming increasingly prominent in everyday life, EVSE testing instruments are designed to be used by a beginner or an expert in EVSE testing. This is why the guided help screens are so important and a central feature of EVSE testing equipment.
Video Demonstration
We have a variety of EVSE testing products available here at Test Instrument Solutions. Below is a video on our MFT-PRO product (MFTPRO-EV) working in conjunction with our EV-Test100 adapter.
Please note that this section is for information purposes only. Anyone using equipment referred to in this section must be suitably qualified and/or experienced within the respective field. If in doubt before use, please consult a qualified electrician or engineer & thoroughly read all instruction booklets.