Epic Games is a leading interactive entertainment company and provider of 3D engine technology. Also leading the way by focusing on a triple bottom line, Epic Games is supporting both people and the planet by installing car charging points on their premises in Guildford.

THE CHALLENGE

Car parking spaces are at a premium in the town centre location, so it was critical the charging point minimised its footprint. The charger had to be installed within close proximity to the offices to allow the cable to run from the listed building. Consideration also had to be taken into account to allow for multiple cars to be charged simultaneously. Finally, the installation also had to align with the government’s grant criteria of approved units.

THE SOLUTION

The solution was to install a twin outlet three phase fast 22KW smart car charger that had back-office capabilities for billing and usage monitoring.

Installation

After reviewing the location and the suitability of the office electrical supply, UK Green Energy Installations proceeded by analysing the listed building drawings. With the landlord’s approval a spare duct was utilised for cable installation into the basement. This is where the main distribution unit was installed.

The proposed unit requires 400 volts, three-phase and 63 amps in power consumption when both outlets are being used, which is enough power to supply three average UK households. The reason for this size unit is due to the speed at which it can charge a car i.e. the new Tesla model 3 – from 0% to 80% in approximately five hours. However, some new electric cars will charge faster than this and most cars will not be at 0% when connected to the charging point.

Protection barrier

The protection barrier was also a key feature, firstly protecting the car charger from external damage as cars manoeuvre around the car park, but also highlighting to drivers (as they park) the distance required for the cable to reach into the car’s charging port.

The EV Charging Point from ROLEC

The British built ROLEC EV charging points made from a good strong steel construction, make this unit ideal for a car park with UK weather conditions. Water ingress from rain as well as UV and dirt are all variables that need considering.

Functionality

Back-office control of this unit made the functionality from day-to-day and going forwards easier to manage from any internet connected PC or Laptop via a simple login.

The charger selected has a fully integrated SIM card allowing network control, ensuring Epic Games UK Ltd has full control over running costs and visibility of electrical usage, all displayed on an intuitive user interface.

Charging via the app

This charger has a QR code on the side of the unit allowing the users to scan the code and download the app onto any smart phone. This allows users to be charged directly with billing information detailing the charge on each of the user’s app.