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COVER STORY
TEST EQUIPMENT: CHOOSE THE ELECTRIC AVENUE David Sweetman, Group Marketing and Business Development Director at DiLOG Group, ponders whether your next multifunction tester should be an EV MFT. hese days, there are many reasons why electricians should consider a multifunction installation tester with Electric Vehicle (EV) testing capability when they’re investing in new test equipment. Let’s look at some of the key benefits of doing so:
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Future proofing According 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, which 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 (55% of all UK vehicles) and by 2050 the figure is predicted to reach 49 million (100% of all UK vehicles).
Currently, there are approximately 33,000 public charging points for around 400,000 plug-in electric vans and 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.
24 January 2023 PROFESSIONAL ELECTRICIAN
Should your next installation tester have the functionality to check the effectiveness of DC leakage protection installed within the EV charger? I believe the answer to the question 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”. Di-LOG’s EV test equipment range 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. The new DL9100 range is Di-LOG’s most intelligent tester to date with a fully auto-sensing high current Loop/PSCC test