One word in the directive completely changes the nature of the download law that affects thousands

Why it must be so cryptic?

Thinking about this Antti Helén when looking at the EU directive and the words in it. The detail in it affects the electrical arrangements of thousands of properties in Finland.

Helén is the chairman of the board of Energiavahti, which does electrical contracting, and suspects that many people have gone astray.

That detail is connected to the word “over”.

So that said “download law” According to

HS told just out of obligation. It simply covers unoccupied buildings with more than 20 parking spaces, and the deadline is the turn of the year. This can be avoided with the things listed by the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency on the website.

The surprising detail lies in the power of the required charger. You have to disconnect the charger over 3.7 kilowatts.

You can get chargers with the same power in the store, but it is not enough, the agency confirms to HS. Those familiar with electrical engineering know that exceeding a number changes everything.

Let’s take it one step back, and let’s look at the origin of the number.

The EU gave in 2014 of the Directivewhich defined what is meant by a “normal power charging point” for an electric car.

According to the Union, it is equal or below 22 kilowatts but over A device offering 3.7 kilowatts. The above numbers may seem funny when they are not easy to mumble even numbers.

Kilowatts are formed by multiplication, where the amount of voltage is multiplied by the amount of current. It is mathematically difficult to build a multiplication table from the blocks of electrical engineering that would reach, for example, 3.8 or 3.9 kilowatts.

According to Antti Helén, the next reasonable charger power that crosses the EU border is up to three times higher.

“Someone you have to buy the product there, so the next-level devices are practically 11 kilowatts,” says Antti Helén.

He sees a genuine risk that devices that are too small have been bought all over the country. He is upset that the directive uses expressions open to interpretation in the documents instead of directly stating a larger number.

“Is it carelessness or has it been thought that it will be easier to refine later?”

By tinkering with the size of the fuse, the power of an 11 kilowatt charger can be reduced to around 4.2 kilowatts. That in itself would fulfill the spirit of the law, but such a solution is rarely needed.

Likewise, 7.4 kilowatt devices used to be found on the market, but according to Helén, they have not been installed for years.

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“Many companies or properties do not have a designated person to handle such matters.”

Numbers to himself: In the big picture, Helén sees the problem that few people have the time to familiarize themselves with charging technology.

“The ton or two required by the charging station is usually not a problem, but the fact that many companies or properties do not have a designated person to handle such matters.”

According to another electrical entrepreneur that HS heard earlier, many real estates try to get out of the obligation by skipping the bar. In Helén’s opinion, responsible electrical contractors get upset if someone asks for a charger that is too small because of the law.

Traficom says that it will start charger monitoring at the beginning of the year, and sanctions may result. It doesn’t matter how many chargers you have in the yard, as long as there is enough power.

In Helén’s opinion, property owners should think about the nature of the parking lot. Could the purchase of a charger be something that the owner could really benefit from, for example as an additional service for visitors, instead of crossing the mandatory legal bar.

“It really depends on the needs of the property, but instead of the high power of one charging station, I would install several. Employees could put cars on charge for the day, or if there are customers visiting the property, you could offer them to put the car on charge.”