Document version: 1.11

Document date: 19. 8. 2024

FOREWORD

Etrel INCH charging station has been designed and tested in accordance with current and past versions of international standards. The charging station is compliant with IEC 61851 (Part 1, Part 21-2, Part 22) international standards which defines conductive AC electric vehicle charging and supports Mode 3 charging for safe recharging of standard electric vehicles.

The charging station for electric vehicles is a part of the integrated charging system that has been designed and developed by Etrel. Charging station can operate on its own, it can be connected into the cluster of charging stations, and it can be connected to the management system.

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The management system enables safe and simple EV charging for the user and gives a comprehensive oversight and control of the charging for the operator, including the data for billing of the consumed energy and service.

The manual contains the latest information at the time of purchase. Any unauthorized modification or tampering with the product may void the product warranty. Etrel d.o.o. reserves the right to make changes to the product without further notice. Customer support department will assist with any further inquiries about the product.

General Information

Intended Use

No flammable materials or liquids should be used or stored in the direct vicinity of the charging station.

The manufacturer accepts no responsibility for damage or injuries resulting from incorrect installation or inappropriate use of the product.

Different types of charging connectors and converters are available as a part of optional equipment to allow safe charging of any standard electric vehicle.

Function of ventilation is not supported by charging station.

Adaptors or conversion adapters are not allowed to be used.

Cord extension sets are not allowed to be used.

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Temperature range

Performed temperature tests are showing that charging stations can operate at temperature of ambient of 50 °C continuously and would perform adequately at temperature spikes over that value as well.

Internal power supply is over dimensioned to compensate the loss of power at high temperatures. If the temperature of air inside the charging station would rise over 65 °C, the power supply could shut down and would re-power when temperature lowered.

The temperature dissipation of metal enclosure is excellent and no need for function of derating of charging power in case of high ambient temperature was identified.

Charging station must be protected by MCB and RCD protective devices and these devices could operate at lower current at higher temperatures, and this could cause nuisance tripping.

At ambient temperature under -25 °C the LCD display could become unresponsive, or it could also be damaged.

Geographical restrictions

Charging station can be used in area of European Union without possibility of the breach of radio spectrum. For devices installed outside of European Union, this must be specified before the order and check and selection of appropriate radio components to support required bandwidths must be performed.

Country Specific Information

Requirements of legislation of German Measurement and Calibration Law (Mess und Eichgesetz) are not supported in charging stations of Etrel yet. This means that they cannot be used for purposes of billing the charged energy.

United Kingdom does not recognize the CE marking of the European Union and implemented the UKCA mark. Specific of UK are also The Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021. Etrel can provide correct configurations of charging stations to cover all the requirements of the UK, however this must be specified with the order.

The national specifics dictated by legislation or standards and applicable to charging stations are diverse. There are different views in countries of European Union on various areas and what appropriate solutions are.

• Some countries of EU require use of sockets with shutters.

• Some countries accept alternative option to sockets with shutters, to provide additional means of disconnection - to have a backup device in case that the first disconnection device fails. This option is only supported in charging stations with internal RCD.

When in doubt please consult with the seller, before buying the charging station.

Software

Charging station provides options of control through LCD display and additional options can be accessed connecting to the Web Interface of the charging station. This can be made with use of connectivity options wirelessly or with direct connection using the ethernet cable for connection between charging station and computer.

Information of software updates and possibility of update is available in the Web Interface. Charging station can also be connected to management system and offers possibility of remote control.

Safety Information

Operation

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The device must be used in accordance with the instructions contained in this manual.

Do not operate charging station if there is visible damage to the unit or charging cable. Call manufacturers or reseller’s support department for advice how to proceed.

Do not put fingers into the charging connector.

Do not operate the charging station with wet hands.

The charging station manufacturer cannot be made liable for damage or injury caused by improper handling, installation, or use of the product.

Any usage of the product not covered in this document is not allowed and could cause injury or even death.

When the charging station without integral RCD device is installed, the proper RCD device should be installed in the main electrical cabinet.

When the charging station without integral overcurrent device is installed, the proper overcurrent device should be installed in the main electrical cabinet.

Irregularity or Interference at Operation

In the event of irregularities or interference in the operation of the device, immediately stop using the charging station and inform the charging station operator of the situation by phone number located on the housing or other place.

Maintenance

Charging station can be maintained and repaired by qualified personnel only.

Charging station’s power supply should always be switched off during the maintenance and repair.

Avoid hazardous risks. Only the manufacturer, an authorized service technician, or technically qualified personnel may replace damaged charging station or its components.

Fire Safety Measures

At the location of car charging, the fire hazards and thus the threats are increased during the process of charging. The overall design of our products is made on the basis assumption that the fault could occur on any element of the system. Either in the electrical wiring of power supply, in wiring or inside of the charging station, or in the car.

The enclosure and the assembly design of the charging station are made in such a way that the contact of the user to hazardous parts is not possible. In the event of fire, metal enclosure would constrain a fire and would not allow the propagation outside of the enclosure. Regarding the fire safety in all possible cases of installation, that are out of control of our company, several recommendations are listed:

• The charger must be installed outside the hazardous area.

• The installation of the charging station can be performed only by professional electrician and must comply with the installation manual and local installation rules.

• Ensure that there is enough space to manoeuvre vehicles into their designated charging areas and that in event of fire the escape and rescue routes are not obstructed.

• No flammable or combustible material should be stored within the charging area.

• Provision of suitable portable fire extinguisher at the location of the charging station is proposed.

Firefighting Measures

Charging Station Fire

In the event of a charging fire, the usual rules in the event of an electrical cabinet fire apply. In case of fire please follow these steps:

• In the event of a fire, immediately stop using the charging station and call the appropriate services (fire brigade).

• If possible, disconnect the station from the power supply by pressing the fire protection switch (if present) or another switch responsible for cutting off the power supply to the station.

• Retreat from fire area.

• Extinguishing should be carried out with extinguishers intended for extinguishing electrical devices up to 1000 V.

Do not extinguish live electrical installations and devices with water!

The following is general information obtained from various sources. For detailed instructions on extinguishing fires of electric vehicles or their batteries, fire brigade have appropriate procedures already established.

Vehicle Fire

Vehicles, made of light metal, such as magnesium or aluminium, develop high temperatures above 1000 °C when burning. When extinguished with water such a high temperature evaporates it and can cause burning particles of distinctly white colour and high temperatures to fly around the vehicle. Extinguishing such vehicles requires great care in forming the water jet and in the amount of water.

If a burning vehicle is connected to a charging station, it is necessary to ensure that the charging station is in a voltage-free state by disconnecting the line from which it is supplied.

If firefighters are at the scene of a fire in less than half an hour, the battery usually does not ignite yet and the vehicle can be extinguished easier, and all extinguishing agents can be used. The general recommendations are mainly to use water and foam.

Battery Fire

In general, battery manufacturers, regardless of the type of battery, recommend water for successful extinguishing, although reactions may occur.

If the batteries catch fire, they will burn until they burn out completely. Another option is to immerse the batteries in water for at least half an hour. If the battery is not extinguished successfully, the fire will recur.

Environmental Safety Measures

When implementing protection measures, environmental protection must also be observed. For this reason, special care has been put into selection of the components and their compliance with the Directive on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS). This directive restricts use of hazardous materials in the manufacture of various types of electronic and electrical equipment.

The substances banned under RoHS are heavy metals, lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), hexavalent chromium (CrVI), polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE), and four different phthalates (DEHP, BBP, DBP, DIBP).

The restricted materials are hazardous to the environment and pollute landfills and are dangerous in terms of occupational exposure during manufacturing and recycling.

Another example of use of environmentally friendly materials in our products is compliance to REACH, which is a regulation of the European Union, adopted to improve the protection of human health and the environment from the risks that can be posed by chemicals. REACH regulation also promotes alternative methods for the hazard assessment of substances to reduce the number of tests on animals. Packaging of our products is environmentally friendly and materials degradable.

Correct Disposal of this Product and Sustainability

Information about WEEE Directive

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Of major importance is the compliancy with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE) as well. The scope of this Directive is the reuse, recycling, and disposal of electrical equipment during complete lifecycle and after their end of life.

The product and its electronic accessories should not be disposed of with other household waste at the end of their working life. To prevent possible harm to the environment or human health from uncontrolled waste disposal, please separate these items from other types of waste and recycle them responsibly to promote the sustainable reuse of material resources.

Household users should contact either the retailer where they purchased this product, or their local government office, for details of where and how they can take these items for environmentally safe recycling.

Business users should contact their supplier and check the terms and conditions of the purchase contract. This product and its electronic accessories should not be mixed with other commercial wastes for disposal.

Compliancy

Simplified EU Declaration of Conformity

Hereby, Etrel d.o.o. declares that the radio equipment type INCH is in compliance with Radio Equipment Directive 2014/53/EU. The full text of the EU Declaration of Conformity is available at the following internet address:

https://etrel.com/inch-pro

Select "Access documentation" and then "Certificates".

Tested Compliancy with Standards

Etrel INCH charging station was tested at accredited third-party laboratory SIQ - Slovenian Institute of Quality and Metrology. Performed tests cover all the requirements of RED, LVD and EMC directives of the European Union, according to the specifications of the following standards:

• IEC 61851-1:2017 (EN IEC 61851-1:2019)

• IEC 61851-21-2:2018

• ETSI EN 301 489-1 V2.2.3

• ETSI EN 301 489-17 V2.2.1

• ETSI EN 301 489-52 V1.1.0

• ETSI EN 301 489-3 V2.1.1

• EN 60529:1991 + A1:2000 + A2:2013

• EN 62262:2002

Safety Risk Analysis

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All our charging stations are tested and proved compliant with EN 61851 Part 1, Part 21-2, and requirements of harmonized standards to fulfil RED, LVD and EMC directive. These tests and judgement of compliancy was performed by external accredited organization, SIQ - Slovenian Institute of Quality and Metrology, Mašera - Spasićeva ulica 10, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia, http://www.siq.si.

Design Considerations

Special care has been put into selection of components and materials and their compliance to requirements set in standards, technical directives, and rules of good practice.

The internal wiring was carefully designed, and the propriety of whole assembly thoroughly evaluated. Basic design considerations include voltage, insulating materials, time under voltage stress and degree of pollution at the location.

Creepage distances, clearance between circuits and spacing to metal enclosures are important requirements for insulation coordination. Thus, calculation and measurement of clearance and creepage distances, in accordance with requirements, are one of the significant parts in design of our products. They are dimensioned to withstand the required impulse withstand voltage and to withstand the long-term continuous operation.

A charging station operates with an RCD device, which is designed to protect against the risks of electrocution and in addition offers protection against fire caused by earth faults. It is a sensitive safety device that switches off electricity automatically if there is a fault.

The ingress protection class of IP56 proves, that the enclosure of the charging station is protecting the internals against ingress of solid objects, permits only limited ingress of dust and is protected against water splashes from all directions. Impact protection, of at least IK10 states, that the charging station can withstand impacts, equivalent to 5 kg dropped from height of 40 cm. As required, tests for the IK class were performed before testing of IP class.

Licenses

At the same location as the complete EU Declaration of Conformity, in the folder "Licenses", manifest file with information about versions and licenses of integrated software can be found.

https://etrel.com/inch-pro

Select "Access documentation" and then "Licenses".

Transportation and Storage instructions

Transportation

Please make sure that the charging station (or pallet of charging stations) is stable during the transport.

Transportation temperature range: -30 °C to +70 °C

Storage

The charging station is delivered in a cardboard box. We recommend that the charging station is kept in this packaging until the installation. Packaging must be removed before installation of the charging station.

Storage temperature range: -30 °C to +70 °C

Stacking

INCH Home/Pro with cable:

5 boxes maximum stacking, symbol:
(Maximum of 4 boxes on top of the bottom box)

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INCH Home/Pro with socket:

7 boxes maximum stacking, symbol:
(Maximum of 6 boxes on top of the bottom box)

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Packaging

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PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Basic Functionalities

Etrel INCH is a smart charging station that can predict EV charging habits and help charge the car by the time it is needed, at the lowest possible cost.

Charging station comes with the LCD screen that guides through the charging process and provides charging information. Charging station comes with several connectivity options (including Wi-Fi, LTE, and Ethernet) and open protocol support and can be seamlessly integrated in smart home.

To connect Etrel INCH charging station, it either comes with the socket (with/without shutters * ) or cable. Depending on the type of charging station. 

Open Figure 3: Etrel INCH with socket (with/without shutters)

Open Figure 4: Etrel INCH with cable

1 – LCD screen

2 – Status light

3 – Settings button

4 – Confirmation button

5 – Socket (with/without shutters)

6 – Maintenance doors

7 – Charging cable

* A socket with shutters provides additional protection against contact with electrical parts (IP XXD). Within the socket, a mechanism covers all the power conductors. When the plug is inserted, this mechanism disengages, allowing the electrical contact to be established, and the charging process can begin.

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Base Specifications

• Input: 230/400V~; 3W+N+PE; 50/60 Hz; 32 Amax

• Output: 230/400V~; 3W+N+PE; 50/60 Hz; 32 Amax

• Maximum charging power: 7,36 kW (1-phase), 22,08 kW (3-phase)

• Maximal power consumption of the device: From 7 W to 11 W (highest measured value of full configuration: 10,33 W)

Specification of frequency bands and transmitting power (it is possible that not all modules are part of an actual device).

ELECTRICITY PROTECTION ELEMENTS

Overvoltage protection: The device is a Class 2 appliance and must be protected with an upstream overvoltage protection.

Overcurrent protection: Should be installed upstream to protect power supply cable and the charging device.

Differential protection: Should be installed separately if not already built in the charger. A dedicated residual current device (RCD) device must be used according to applicable regulations.

RCBO performs the function of overcurrent and differential protection and is an alternative to using two protection units (it replaces MCB and RCD).

Dimensions

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Figure 5: Dimensions of INCH charging station

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Figure 6: Dimensions of the wall mounting bracket

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Figure 7: INCH mounting pole

Content, Optional and Extra Equipment

• Charging station (with Type 2 cable or Type 2 socket),

• Wall mounting bracket,

• 9 × wall plugs for securing the mounting bracket using screws to the wall,

• 9 × screws to mount the bracket to the wall,

  • Screws dimensions: 4.5 x 40 and 4.5 x 60 [mm],

• Cable gland rubber seal for smaller cable dimensions

• *9 × wall spacers

• *2 × keys to open charging station service doors,

• *Hex key to open charging station maintenance doors,

  • Hex key dimensions: 2.5

• *PLC LAN module,

• *Magnetic cable holder (different version for longer cables > 3 m),

• *INCH mounting pole,

• *Underground anchoring structure,

• *Etrel Load Guard device.

* Optional, depending on the purchased model.

** For configurations with socket, there is a leftover of two screws M4x80 that are not used for the installation.

Etrel Load Guard

Etrel Load guard is a separate device that is installed in the building’s electric cabinet. It measures the electric current in the building’s installation and sends real-time measurements to the charging station.

Load Guard allows charging with maximum current without overloading the fuses. The main use is in cases where there are other consumers or production of energy at the location (e.g., photovoltaics). It operates with individual charging station or with cluster of charging stations.

Power management of master charging station decides, based on information provided by Load Guard, what target current to set on its connector and other stations of the cluster. If necessary, it will increase or decrease the charging power or even stop it completely to prevent the fuses from switching off due to overcharging.

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Figure 8: Load Guard

Etrel Ocean

Etrel Ocean is a complete software solution for scalable electric vehicle charging management that supports complete overview and control of charging stations while covering numerous use cases.

Usually, it is not needed for home use, its advantages are in the field of management of (real and virtual) clusters of charging stations. It is adaptable and configurable to different business cases.

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Figure 9: Etrel Ocean

Identify Product Variant

Etrel INCH has multiple variants that differ based on connector type and connectivity option. To identify charging station, there are two possibilities. Either checking the manufacturer sticker or on the web interface in Diagnostics menu.

Model number is located on all stickers. Identification of charging station is sometimes needed by the support, so they can identify potential issue.

User will get all the needed information on the sticker located on the inside of maintenance doors. Information about charging station model, serial number, software version and version of cc hardware, cc driver and cc firmware can also be obtained, on the web interface of Etrel INCH charging station.

Charging station or its packaging has 3 stickers, presented on the following figure. Sticker with basic information is located on the delivery package a), one at the back of service doors has all the technical information b) and last one is located inside the side maintenance doors, containing information about connectivity c).

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Figure 10: Three different stickers, sticker on the delivery package, on the maintenance doors and inside the maintenance space, behind maintenance doors

Circuit Diagram

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OPERATION AND CHARGING PROCEDURE

INCH charging station can be controlled locally or remotely, through web interface, or through charging station management system. Configuration and usage of the charging station’s web interface is described in the next chapter.

First Power up

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Before starting the station, it is absolutely necessary to read this manual and the technical specification of the device.

Connect charging station to the power supply in the electrical cabinet. Installation feeder should be turned on.

When the charging station has either overcurrent or RCD protection installed, check whether the protection element is in ON position.

Charging station is powered up automatically when it is connected to the electricity.

When the charging station is power up for the first time it can take several minutes for station to get ready to start using it to charge EV.

Status of LED

Setting of Maximal Charging Current

Max power is set by the installer based on the grid capabilities where charging station is installed. If there is need to change it, please set the current limitation in the charging station’s web interface before starting the first charging session.

First Charging Session

When the charging station is ready to be used, follow the procedures described on the LCD screen. Two charging modes can be selected:

• Fast charging (default)

• Interactive charging

Charging modes are chosen during the charging session.

During the fast-charging EV will be charged with the max available charging power as fast as possible. Max power is set by the installer based on the grid capabilities where charging station is installed.

When Interactive charging is chosen the charging schedule will be modified based on the inserted departure time. If it is not inserted, it will be based on the default value. Historic data are recorded from the first charging session onward and can only be used after the first charging session is finished.

More charging session means more accurate session prognosis and schedules. Charging schedule will be created based on electricity prices, other loads, and PV production to make sure EV is charged in appropriate time while taking in consideration other constraints.

Charging Procedure

Step 1: WAKE

In normal conditions, the charging station’s LCD screen will likely be in the screen saver mode. Charging station can be woken up by simply tapping the screen.

Screen saver mode can be chosen in the charging station’s web interface. Three options of display setting exist: turned on all the time, blinking or turned off until touched.

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Figure 11: Screen saver

Step 2: AUTHORISATION

Depending on the charging station chosen authorisation mode, different screens will be shown that will need different actions from user to continue with the charging session. What authorisation is allowed can be setup in the charging station’s web interface Configuration menu.

Plug and charge mode

In the plug and charge mode message is shown to insert the cable and start the charging session.

Needed authorisation

If authorisation is needed, select the type that will be used to authorise and continue with the charging session.

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Figure 12: Choose authorisation method

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Figure 13: Insert PIN code

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Figure 14: Insert charging station's EVSE code

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Figure 15: Scan QR code

Step 3: CONNECTING THE CABLE

After the successful authorization, the screen with the description to connect the cable is shown.

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Figure 16: Connect the cable to charging station and EV

If the cable is connected before the authorization this screen will be left out and after the authorization next screen “Waiting for vehicle to respond” will be shown. When the cable is connected charging station will start charging as soon as EV responds.

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Figure 17: Charging station is waiting for EV to responds and starts charging

Step 4: DEPARTURE TIME INPUT

As soon as the charging session begins, the screen to input departure time is shown. Presented departure time is the one calculated by the charging station based on previous charging habits. The presented departure time can be changed to make sure that the EV is charged.

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Figure 18: Set the departure time

When the departure time is set, or default setting is let through charging data will be shown. What charging information is shown depends on the settings of web interface.

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Figure 19: Example of shown energy on the LCD screen

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Figure 20: Display of charging time

Check Status of the Charging Station

In the web interface the information of the current session can be seen. The departure time can be changed using web interface by pressing the »Interactive mode« button.

Stop the Charging Session

Charging station can be stopped locally or remotely.

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Figure 21: Display of current data on web interface

Locally

The charging session can be ended by using the same authorization method as for starting the session (using an RFID card, mobile application, PIN code) and removing the plug from the charging socket or, in the case of a station configuration without authorization, by simply removing the plug from the charging socket.

Remotely

Stop of charging session can be done remotely with the use of web interface. The previous figure shows the Stop Session button. When this button is pressed, a confirmation message is displayed. After confirmation, charging is interrupted. In the same way, a charging session can be ended using a mobile application.

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Figure 22: Confirmation window on the network interface to complete charging

CHARGING STATION WEB INTERFACE

Charging station’s web interface allows the connection to the charging station platform, configuration of its settings as well as check of the charging session and station data, check of the connectivity status and errors description when they occur.

• WiFi network name must not contain "-".

• WiFi communication must be disabled (if using ethernet).

Connect to Web Interface

Users can connect to the charging station web interface using the charging station IP address. Default IP address can be found on the information sticker on the inner part of the maintenance doors. IP address of the charging station can be manually changed.

When IP was changed and forgotten, it can be obtained with pressing for several seconds on the “three dots” on the display. IP can also be obtained with pressing the reset key for several seconds.

When IP address is written in the internet browser and the computer is in the same local network, the charging station will be connected to the web interface.

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Figure 23: Insert the default IP into the browser to connect to web interface

Ping Charging Station from Computer in Same Network

Windows

To determine if the computer is in the same network as charging station ping the station using the CMD command ping with the IP of the station. Computer network can be changed in the network settings.

To ping the station, connect to Command Prompt by searching for it in windows search functionality.

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Figure 24: Search for CMD using Windows Search

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Figure 25: Open Command Prompt

In the Command Prompt write “ping” and IP address (e.g., ping 192.168.1.190).

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Figure 26: Ping the charging station IP address

If the ping is not successful, the computer might be in different network segment. In this case it, the segment need to be changed in network settings to the one of the charging stations.

Apple computer

When using apple computers, pinging of the station can be performed using Terminal. It can be accessed by going to the “Applications” and selecting “Utilities”. Search for “Terminal” and run it.

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Figure 27: Run Terminal software

When Terminal is running, write ping and IP (e.g., ping 192.168.1.250).

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Figure 28: Ping charging station by writing ping and charging station's IP

Change the Computer Network Settings

If pinging of the charging station is not working, also the connection to the charging station's web interface will not work. To configure the charging station, the network settings will need to be changed. Either configure new IP for the selected interface (Advanced, Add), or change the computer's IP.

Windows

To change the network of the computer in Windows OS, network settings in the Control panel need to be located. First, open the Control panel with click on the icon or searching in the Start menu.

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Figure 29: Search for Control Panel using Windows Search

First select “Network and Internet” and then “Network Connections”. Depending on the version of the Windows operation system, instead of “Network Connection”, the option “Network and Sharing Centre” could also be the right one.

Click on the Ethernet Connection that is being used.

In the Internet protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), “Properties” need to be selected and this will show a new window where the new IP address of the computer that is in the same network segment as the station’s IP can be written.

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