The dangers of non certified EV chargers
One of the first questions we often get from our clients is, “How much does an EV charger cost?” In this blog, we want to explain why cheaper isn’t always better when it comes to EV chargers. Most chargers and cables are reliable, especially if they’re UK or EU certified. However, we need to be careful with budget-friendly or unbranded products you might find online. This post will focus on lower-quality options and highlight two main concerns: reliability and safety risks.
Overall Reliability certified vs non certified
The primary concern with cheaper non branded charging equipment is the more frequent failure of such products, Online statistics widely indicate that faulty chargers and cables are more common in non branded charging products, This is largely due to failures when it comes to testing the product properly but also the use of sub par materials. EV charger price alone whilst not always relative to quality is a good indicator to the products research and development.
Charging cables contrary to belief undergo significant wear from frequent plugging in and bending, One look at your mobile phone charging cable will confirm this. The main defects we have noticed in off brand EV charging cables are:
- Sloppy soldering
- Weak mechanical joints
- Poor safety protocols inside charger.
These issues can lead to rapid failure of a charging product such as connector issues or electrical fires due to no safety cut outs inside the charger, Replacing EV charging equipment can be a time consuming process and costly.
Safety risks that comes with non certified EV chargers
In my personal opinion before we even consider reliability it is important to look at the alarming safety issues that come with low quality off brand EV chargers as stated above EV charger price whilst is not a direct relative to quality it is a good indicator to the research and development process, During this process branded chargers undergo stringent safety tests to prevent issues such as overloading or electrical fires.
Unfortunately most of these off brand chargers will fail any safety test immediately, This heightens the danger to yourself and anyone living with you exposing them to greater risks of electric shocks.
EV charger price & quality
The price of a EV charger varies from brand to brand however you may notice a huge price gap between that of a European EV charger vs a off brand EV charger, It is always important to conduct your due diligence especially when dealing with electrical products as mentioned above. The price is higher on a European EV charging solution for a multitude of reasons some of these being;
- Greater safety tests required to bring the product to market
- Superior quality of materials
- Superior safety equipment inside the charger
- Warranty inclusion
The safety testing is a key aspect when it comes to the reason you should buy a European EV charger. We often get many customers asking us “How much is a EV charger?” and then proceeding to compare this with that of a non branded standard. Safety testing costs manufacturers millions of pounds each year to ensure they are following stringent laws set in the EU before an electrical charging product comes to market.
Now, You may be sitting their reading this asking yourself why should we pay more for a European charger if we are paying for testing in the cost, The answer to this is simple more stringent laws mean a higher quality product. You may have come across the saying buy cheap buy twice and we are constantly coming across customers messaging us in regards to the failure of a sub par product they purchased elsewhere.
Case Study: 70% of non brand EV chargers could be lethal
As many as 70% of EV chargers from off brands could be lethal as they fail to meet safety standards multiple online reports found by a leading product quality supervision body.
The wide array of issues found in the testing included poor quality found in charging equipment with metal degradation and corrosion found less than 3 months into ownership. What is even more alarming is the fact that the supervision body found 7 out of 10 chargers completely failed testing at the first stage being “Waterproofing” this is detrimental as we know EV chargers are installed outdoors.
The study also segmented the off brand EV charger market looking at EV charger price in this space and ensuring they chose a low, medium and high priced off brand solution for testing.
In most territories outside the US, UK and EU the production of EV chargers is not regulated meaning no testing has to be conducted for safety prior to launch hence the reason the study found so many huge issues in chargers.
Due Diligence when it comes to purchasing a EV charger
You may now be asking yourself “How on earth can I tell if a EV charger is a good purchase?” this is very easy the first thing we must look at when making a purchase is the company reviews, yes even the off brand companies may have 5 stars but take time to read through the reviews.
You can then look at brand names to ensure you get a high quality product, in my opinion this is a crucial step to ensure you are getting only the best for your EV vehicle. It is also important to take a look around the website for example are they exclusively selling EV chargers? Are they based in the UAE? all these questions need to be asked when you decide to make a purchase. The issue with purchasing from websites in which they sell multiple products comes down to quality the platform has no control over the products being listed.
ShamsPlug is a leading supplier of EV chargers in the UAE one look around our website and you will be filled with confidence that you are getting a genuine long lasting project backed by 5 star reviews.
Who are ShamsPlug?
Now let’s get onto who are Shamsplug, the authors behind this article? We are a leading EV charger supplier based in Dubai, UAE. We cover the whole of the UAE when it comes to the supply of genuine European EV charging solutions. The EV charger price is slightly higher than that of off brand makes you may find online this is due to the fact we stock brands such as:
These brand are the best in the industry when it comes to charging solutions even if you see a higher EV charger price, they are all of EU standard and have extensive testing conducted on them before they were ever brought into the market, Our ethos is simple we provide quality systems that are built to last, This is why ShamsPlug also offers a installation service for any chargers you may purchase through us further information can be found on our installation articles.
I have a Chinese car but I want a EU EV charger?
After reading this article it is safe to assume that you will be considering a genuine charger, If you have a Chinese vehicle you will need to purchase our adapter kit alongside one of our chargers this is due to the fact Chinese EV cars use a different plug to that of there European cousins.
As mentioned above regarding EV charging solutions ShamsPlug also conducts strict product research when it comes to our adapters, You can be assured you are getting a superior quality adapter that is built to last.
Get in touch
If you would like further information on anything in this article or simply just information on products that we sell at Shamsplug you can get in touch with us or alternatively you can fill out the form below
