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THE FOUR LEVELS OF EV CHARGING ENERGY MANAGEMENT: A GUIDE TO SMARTER EV CHARGING 5 <br />How it works <br />Instead of running individual circuits to each charger, <br />you connect multiple units together in series (called <br />“daisy-chaining”) on one shared electrical line installed <br />on the panel. The chargers communicate locally to <br />divide available power among active charging sessions. <br />Here’s a practical example: four chargers share one <br />40-amp circuit. By electrical code, the maximum rating <br />of this circuit is 80%, therefore 32 amps are actually <br />available. When only one vehicle charges, it receives <br />the full 32 amps—adding about 25-35 miles of range <br />in an hour for a typical electric car. Two cars charging <br />simultaneously? Each gets 16 amps, extending the time <br />to add 20-30 miles to 90 minutes per car. Four cars? <br />Power splits four ways at 8 amps each, requiring about <br />3 hours to add the same 20-30 miles of range. <br />The benefits <br />Serious cost savings over no load management. You’ll <br />reduce installation expenses significantly by cutting <br />the number of required circuits, electrical panels, and <br />conduit runs. For a 40-stall installation, this could mean <br />dropping from 40 individual circuits to just 10 shared <br />ones—substantial savings in electrical infrastructure, <br />labor, and materials. <br />Technology requirements <br /> →Networked EV charger with an open communication <br />protocol <br /> →A series of EV chargers installed on a single circuit <br />circuit breaker <br /> →Basic internet connectivity for monitoring <br />The trade-offs and <br />limitations <br />Unpredictable performance. A driver might experience <br />slower charging simply because their neighbor plugged <br />in, even when the rest of the building has abundant <br />spare capacity. You create isolated “islands” of power <br />constraint that can’t see or respond to the broader <br />electrical picture. <br />Limited scalability. Adding chargers means either <br />creating more circuit groups or diluting power further <br />among existing groups. <br />System failures impact multiple chargers. If the <br />primary charger fails, all chargers on that circuit may <br />stop working until repaired. <br />Best applications <br />Locations where usage patterns are predictable <br />and infrastructure updates aren’t available. Ideal <br />for employee parking where most cars arrive in the <br />morning and have 8+ hours to charge, and multi- <br />family units with EV drivers leaving their car plugged in <br />overnight.