EVIQ targets 5,000 fast chargers across KSA by 2030. Each one is a panel-bus-cable-charger-software stack with its own thermal, demand, communication, and revenue constraints. AC Mode 3 for destination, DC fast charge for highway, CCS Combo 2 for connector, OCPP for back-office. Here is what to specify.
Four ideas that turn an EV-charging RFP into a deliverable spec.
AC Mode 3 (3.7–22 kW) fits residential and destination workplaces, 4–8 hour charge. DC fast charge (50–350 kW) fits highway and forecourt, 20–40 minute charge.
The Type 2 (Mennekes) AC connector with two extra DC pins. One inlet, AC or DC, the connector standard KSA EVIQ and most EU OEMs have settled on.
Ten 22 kW chargers running simultaneously is 220 kW. Without dynamic load management, your transformer trips. OCPP-driven shedding allocates available capacity to active sessions.
Open Charge Point Protocol (now 2.0.1) is the open API every charger speaks to its back-office. RFID, payment, remote start/stop, fault alerts. Specifying "OCPP 2.0.1 compatible" avoids vendor lock-in.
Indicative figures for a 60 kWh BEV battery, KSA grid 415/240 V three-phase.
| Charger | Power | Connector | 10–80% time | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AC Mode 2 (portable) | 2.3 kW | Domestic 13 A | 15+ h | Trickle / emergency |
| AC Mode 3 single-phase | 7.4 kW | Type 2 | 7 h | Home / villa |
| AC Mode 3 three-phase | 11–22 kW | Type 2 | 2–4 h | Destination / workplace |
| DC fast | 50 kW | CCS Combo 2 | 45 min | Forecourt / urban |
| DC high-power | 150 kW | CCS Combo 2 | 20 min | Highway corridor |
| DC ultra-high | 350 kW | CCS Combo 2 (HPC) | 12 min | Highway hubs / EVIQ super |
Six engineering decisions behind every commercial charging deployment.
In AC charging, the car's onboard charger does the AC-to-DC conversion at low power (≤ 22 kW). In DC charging, the conversion is in the off-board charger; the connector hands the car ~400–800 V DC directly into the battery. This is why DC chargers cost 10× more than AC, the power electronics moved into the cabinet.
CCS Combo 2 (Europe / GCC), CCS Combo 1 (North America), CHAdeMO (legacy Japan, dying), GB/T (China), NACS / J3400 (Tesla, now opened). KSA EVIQ has standardised on CCS Combo 2 for new installations.
A 10-bay car park with 22 kW chargers needs 220 kW of contracted capacity if static. Or 75 kW with dynamic load management, the OCPP back-office monitors active sessions and reduces output per car when too many plug in. SEC contracts cost per peak kW, dynamic load management is the difference between a profitable site and a stranded asset.
The driver plugs in, the car and the charger exchange certificates, the session is authorised against the driver's account, no card or app needed. Adopted by VW Group, Ford, GM, BMW. For Saudi EVIQ super-hubs serving cross-border GCC traffic, ISO 15118 plug-and-charge is the user experience that justifies the price per kWh.
DC chargers at 50°C ambient cannot push full power continuously, the IGBT and cable thermals throttle. Specifications must include "rated output at 50°C ambient" not just "max output at 25°C." NLC outdoor enclosures provide sun shielding plus forced-air to keep DC chargers cool through KSA summer peaks.
EV cables flex thousands of times per year. Connector pins are rated for ~10,000 mating cycles. Plan replacement at 5–7 years. The cheapest part of the asset, the cable, is the most operationally critical. A spec line "field-replaceable cable assembly" saves you from sending the entire charger back to the factory.
NLC delivers AC Mode 3 wallboxes (7–22 kW), DC fast chargers (50–150 kW), and high-power hubs with OCPP 2.0.1, ISO 15118, and load-management ready, certified for KSA SASO and IEC 61851.
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