When a site owner asks which charger they should install, the question usually arrives framed around power. Is 7 kW enough? Should we go straight to 22?
Power is the wrong place to start. Start with how long the vehicle is there.
Match the charger to the stop, not the car
Charging is a rate multiplied by a duration. A site that holds a car for four hours does not need a fast point - it needs one that quietly delivers a useful charge across those four hours. A site where people stop for forty minutes needs something quite different.
So the useful question is: how long does a vehicle sit at your site on a typical day? Answer that honestly and the charger picks itself.
| If vehicles stay | The unit that fits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Scooters and bikes, cycling through | ChargeSpot 3.3 | The cheapest point per bay. Built for two-wheeler and delivery-fleet parking. |
| Overnight, residential | ChargeSpot 3.6 | Long window, gentle on a building's sanctioned load. |
| Three to five hours | ChargeSpot 7 | Retail, F&B and workplaces. Covers a long visit comfortably. |
| Around two hours | ChargeSpot 11 | Malls and offices, where the window is real but not generous. |
| Under ninety minutes | ChargeSpot 22 | Highway stops. The most you can usefully deliver in a short stay. |
Where people get this wrong
Over-specifying. A housing society that installs 22 kW points for overnight charging has bought speed nobody is awake to use. That money would have gone further as more 3.6 kW bays.
Forgetting the vehicle's own limit. This is the one that surprises people most. The charge rate is set by the lower of the charge point and the car's on-board charger. Plenty of cars on Indian roads accept considerably less than a 22 kW point can offer. Installing 22 kW does not make those cars charge at 22 kW.
Counting the bay instead of the day. One bay used six times a day does more work than three bays used once each. Before adding connectors, ask whether the ones planned will actually turn over.
Check the supply before you fall in love with a number
The 3.3, 3.6 and 7 kW units run on single phase. The 11 and 22 kW units need three phase.
That single line decides more installations than anything else. It is worth checking what you have at the board before choosing a model, because the answer sometimes settles the question on its own.
If you are not sure what your site can support, that is exactly what a site survey is for - we look at the available load first, then recommend.