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SHOULD YOUR NEXT MULTIFUNCTION TESTER BE AN EV MFT? There are many reasons why electricians should consider a multifunction installation tester with electric vehicle (EV) testing capability. David Sweetman, Group Marketing and Business Development Director at Di-LOG Group, has compiled a few facts that will help electricians when they are considering investing in new test equipment.
A
ccording to the Climate Change Committee (CCC), the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) will be one of the most important actions to achieve the UK’s net zero target. Today’s EV market is estimated to be around 400,000
– this includes all fully electric and plug-in hybrid models and equates to 1% of all UK vehicles. By 2032, this number is expected to accelerate to 23.2 million which is 55% of all UK vehicles and, by 2050, this number is expected to reach 49 million – 100%. Currently, there are approximately 33,000 public charging points for around 400,000 plug-in electric vans and
There is every possibility that you will be installing EV chargers in the future if you are not doing so already
passenger vehicles. In order to grow the UK’s EV fleet to 23.2 million EVs by 2032, the CCC estimates 325,000 public charging points will be needed. These numbers do not include the EV chargers that are installed at homes and workplaces. So, there is every possibility that you will be installing EV chargers in the future if you are not doing so already. Should your next installation tester have the functionality to check the effectiveness of DC leakage protection installed within the EV charger? David believes the answer is yes, in accordance with BS7671:2018:AM2 – Chapter 64 section 3 (643) titled ‘Testing’. Subsection 643.10 ‘functional testing’, states that ‘protective devices shall be submitted to a test of their function, as necessary, to check that they are properly installed and adjusted’.
EV charger safety
Di-LOG’s new DL9100 series MFT incorporates the DL9120 and DL9130EV with both products boasting DC capability, paving the way for a host of tests specific to the EV and PV sectors, mainly the ability to conduct a Type B (Pure DC) RCD test. Although the new MFTs both have the ability to test Type B RCDs, the DL9130EV has a full 6mA RDC-DD test to indicate the DC safety protection is working on all modern EV chargers. Excessive DC current on the RCD that is protecting the AC supply could result in the failure to trip when an AC fault occurs. The DL9130EV can be switched to full Auto EV mode for full EV verification. The EV Auto Sequence performs a cycle of full RCD tests checking the EV charger’s DC leakage protection along with the Type A RCD. All results are then recalled simply at the press of a button, utilising the RGB colour-changing screen with a green background to indicate passes and a red background to indicate areas that may require further investigation.
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