Electromobility
Electromobility covers the charging hardware that connects an electric vehicle to a building's electrical installation: wallboxes for fixed daily charging, portable EV chargers for Mode 2 charging from a socket, charging stations for public, fleet and commercial sites, and charging cables that join the two. Choose by phase count and power (3.7, 7.4, 11 or 22 kW), by Type 2 or CCS connector, by cable length and current rating, and by whether you need RFID, OCPP or dynamic load balancing. Chargers from Fronius, Goodwe, Huawei, Olife Energy, SMA, Victron Energy and Zencar. Guide
- Portable EV Chargers – Ideal for charging on the go, these compact and versatile chargers allow you to power your electric vehicle wherever a compatible outlet is available.
- Wallboxes – Designed for home and business installations, wallboxes offer fast and convenient charging, typically with an optimal 11 kW capacity, making them perfect for garages, parking lots, and private facilities.
- Charging Stations – Robust and high-performance solutions suitable for public, commercial, and fleet applications. Charging stations are designed for continuous use, multiple users, and reliable operation in demanding environments.
- Charging Cables – Essential for a safe and reliable connection between your electric vehicle and the charging point, ensuring efficient power transfer and long-term durability. With our complete range of EV charging solutions, you can be sure your electric vehicle is always ready to go with a fully charged battery.
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Related electromobility categories
EV charging: AC and DC, charging modes and connectors
Almost everything in this category is AC charging. The charger does not rectify anything: it switches the supply, signals the available current to the car over the Control Pilot line and lets the vehicle's own on-board charger convert AC to DC. That is why a car with a 11 kW on-board charger will draw 11 kW from a 22 kW wallbox and no more. DC charging bypasses the on-board charger and feeds the battery directly through a CCS connector, which is why DC units are physically large and belong to public and fleet sites.
The second axis is the charging mode defined by IEC 61851. Mode 2 is a portable cable with an in-cable control box that plugs into a domestic or CEE socket. Mode 3 is a fixed installation on a dedicated circuit: a wallbox or station with a Type 2 socket or a tethered Type 2 cable. Stock covers Fronius, Goodwe, Huawei, Olife Energy, SMA, Victron Energy and Zencar, so a charger can usually be matched to the inverter brand already on site.
FROM THE FIELD
"The mistake I see most often is sizing the wallbox to the car instead of to the main fuse. A 22 kW unit on a house with a 25 A main breaker will trip it the moment the oven and the heat pump run together. Fit a current sensor on the main incomer and enable dynamic load balancing, then the charger backs off to 6 A instead of taking the whole house down."
Ladislav Proc · EV charging specialist, ONSA Plus
How to choose an EV charging solution
The charger is the smallest part of the decision. What actually constrains the choice is the supply at the site: how many phases arrive, what the main breaker is rated at, how much of that capacity is already spoken for, and how far the parking space sits from the distribution board.
Work through it in this order: supply and main fuse, then fixed or portable, then power and phase count, then protection and cabling, and only at the end the convenience features such as RFID, OCPP and photovoltaic surplus charging.
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Single-phase or three-phase, and what the kW figures mean
AC charging power is simply voltage times current times the number of phases. Single-phase 230 V at 16 A gives 3.7 kW, at 32 A it gives 7.4 kW. Three-phase 400 V at 16 A gives 11 kW, at 32 A it gives 22 kW. The car decides how much of that it can accept.
- 3.7 kW single-phase: adds roughly 15 to 20 km of range per hour. Adequate for plug-in hybrids and for overnight charging of low daily mileage.
- 7.4 kW single-phase: the practical ceiling on a single-phase supply. Needs a dedicated 32 A circuit and, in many grid areas, notification to the distribution operator.
- 11 kW three-phase: the sweet spot for homes and small businesses. Most European EVs have an 11 kW on-board charger, so this fills a typical 60 kWh battery overnight with headroom.
- 22 kW three-phase: useful for shared parking, fleets and short top-ups. Only a minority of cars accept 22 kW on AC, so on a private house it usually buys nothing but a larger cable.
Fixed wallbox, station or portable charger
A wallbox is a Mode 3 device on its own circuit, with proper earthing, its own protection and a fixed installation position. A charging station is the same idea built for public duty: pedestal or robust wall housing, two outlets in many cases, authentication, metering and back-office connectivity. A portable charger is Mode 2 equipment carried in the boot, with interchangeable plugs for Schuko and CEE sockets and an adjustable current limit, and it is a backup rather than a daily solution.
Connectors, cable length and current rating
Type 2 (IEC 62196-2) is the European AC standard and handles both single-phase and three-phase charging. CCS Combo 2 adds two DC pins below the same Type 2 body for fast charging. Tethered means the cable is permanently attached, socketed means the driver brings their own.
- Cable length: 5 m suits a garage where the charge port faces the wall. 7.5 m covers most driveways and carports, 10 m handles awkward parking or a shared bay. Longer cable is heavier and harder to stow.
- Current rating: a 20 A cable will throttle a 32 A charger. The cable's resistor coding in the plug tells the station its rating, and charging is limited to the lowest value in the chain.
- Phase count: a single-phase cable on a three-phase station limits you to one third of the power. Check the cable is 5-core if the station is three-phase.
Tip from practice
Do not fit a plain type AC residual current device on an EV circuit. An EV charger needs RCD type A plus 6 mA DC fault detection, or a type B RCD. Many wallboxes already contain the 6 mA DC monitoring internally, in which case an external type A device upstream is enough. Check the datasheet before ordering the protection devices, because fitting both is a waste and fitting neither is a fault.
Load management: static, dynamic and multiple charge points
Static load management fixes a hard ceiling on the charger, for example 16 A on a house whose supply cannot give more. Dynamic load balancing uses a current transformer or an energy meter on the main incomer, measures what the rest of the building is drawing and continuously adjusts the charging current down to the 6 A minimum defined by the standard. It is what lets an 11 kW wallbox live behind a 25 A main breaker without nuisance tripping. Where several charge points share one supply, cluster or master-slave load management splits the available current between the connected cars.
RFID, OCPP and billing
RFID cards decide who may start a session, which matters as soon as the charge point is not behind a locked gate. OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol, usually 1.6J or 2.0.1) is the open interface between the charge point and a back office: remote start and stop, tariffs, firmware updates and metered session records. Choosing an OCPP-capable station keeps you free to change operator later. For reimbursement or resale you also want an MID-certified energy meter inside the unit.
Charging from photovoltaic surplus
Surplus charging uses the export power measured at the main smart meter to set the charging current, so the car absorbs what would otherwise be fed into the grid. Because AC charging cannot go below 6 A, a single-phase charger needs about 1.4 kW of surplus before it can start and a three-phase one needs about 4.2 kW. Good implementations offer a mixed mode with a guaranteed minimum from the grid, and phase switching between single-phase and three-phase to widen the usable window. The charger and the photovoltaic inverter normally have to be from the same ecosystem for this to work.
Charging options compared
| Connection | Typical power | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Mode 2, domestic socket | 2.3 to 3.7 kW single-phase | Emergency and occasional charging, plug-in hybrids, travel |
| Mode 2, CEE socket | up to 11 kW three-phase | Workshops, holiday homes, temporary sites with a CEE outlet |
| Mode 3 wallbox, 1-phase | 3.7 or 7.4 kW | Houses with a single-phase supply or a limited main fuse |
| Mode 3 wallbox, 3-phase | 11 or 22 kW | Daily home and business charging, photovoltaic surplus use |
| AC charging station | 2 x 22 kW typical | Public parking, fleets, employee and customer charging |
| DC fast charging, CCS | 50 kW and above | Transit corridors, depots, short high-power top-ups |
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Frequently asked questions about EV charging
What is the difference between AC and DC charging?
AC charging supplies alternating current and the car's on-board charger converts it to DC, which caps the power at whatever that on-board charger accepts, usually 11 kW. DC charging converts outside the vehicle and feeds the battery directly through CCS, so it reaches far higher power.
Do I need a three-phase wallbox?
Only if the property has a three-phase supply and the car has a three-phase on-board charger. Three-phase gives 11 kW instead of 7.4 kW, roughly halving overnight charging time. On a single-phase supply a three-phase wallbox brings no benefit.
What is the difference between Mode 2 and Mode 3 charging?
Mode 2 is a portable cable with an in-cable control box that plugs into an ordinary domestic or CEE socket. Mode 3 is a fixed installation, a wallbox or station on its own dedicated circuit with communication over the Control Pilot line. Mode 3 is safer and faster for daily use.
Which connector do I need, Type 2 or CCS?
Type 2 for AC charging, which is what every wallbox and most stations use in Europe. CCS Combo 2 is Type 2 with two extra DC pins and only applies to DC fast charging. A CCS-equipped car charges on Type 2 AC without any adapter.
Do I need a special RCD for an EV charger?
Yes. The circuit needs residual current protection that also catches smooth DC fault current: either an RCD type A combined with 6 mA DC fault detection, or a type B RCD. Many wallboxes include the 6 mA detection internally, so an upstream type A device then suffices.
What cable length and current rating should I choose?
Measure from the charge point to the vehicle's charge port in its usual parking position, then add a metre. 5 m suits most garages, 7.5 m driveways, 10 m awkward bays. Match the current rating to the charger: a 20 A cable throttles a 32 A charge point.
What is dynamic load balancing and do I need it?
It measures the whole building's current draw at the main incomer and reduces the charging current in real time so the main breaker is never overloaded, down to the 6 A minimum. You need it whenever the wallbox rating plus existing loads could exceed the main fuse.
Can I charge my EV from photovoltaic surplus?
Yes, if the wallbox supports surplus mode and reads export power from a compatible energy meter. Charging cannot start below 6 A, so a single-phase unit needs about 1.4 kW of surplus and a three-phase unit about 4.2 kW unless it can switch phases.
What is OCPP and when do I need it?
OCPP is the open protocol between a charge point and a management back office, covering remote start and stop, tariffs, firmware updates and session records. You need it whenever charging is billed, shared between users or monitored centrally, and it keeps you free to change operator.
Can I charge from a normal household socket?
Yes, with a Mode 2 portable charger, but at only 2.3 to 3.7 kW and on a socket and circuit in good condition, since it runs at near full load for hours. Treat it as a backup and install a wallbox for daily charging.
Charging power, protection requirements and connection approval depend on the available supply capacity at the site and on the applicable national wiring rules.
About ONSA Plus
Why installers across Europe order EV charging from us
ONSA Plus is a European B2B distributor of photovoltaics, battery storage, heat pumps and EV charging stations. In our own EU warehouses we keep over 1,500 products from 25+ brands, including Huawei, Solis, SolaX and Dyness.
We are not just a trading company. We design and service energy systems ourselves, so we answer questions on charging power, load management and protection from engineering practice, not from a catalogue. You handle a warranty claim directly with us and you buy per job.
