Given the continued and rapid growth of the electromobility sector, the new DC meter is expected to generate significant interest among EV charger manufacturers, enabling billing based on the number of kWh used when charging at public or semi-public charging points. For charging sessions to be billed based on kWh, energy meters must be integrated into DC chargers at the charging point, as required by regulations such as Directive 2014/32/EU on Measuring Instruments, the German calibration law Eichrecht, and French legislation. Payment based on kWh is increasingly demanded as it promotes accessibility, fairness, and price transparency for all users during the EV charging process.
EVs can be charged with either AC or DC. DC charging via a wallbox offers several advantages over AC charging because it overcomes the power limitations of the onboard charger used for AC charging. This shortens loading times and facilitates access to services such as V2G (vehicle-to-grid).
In destination charging applications, where charging time is typically one to two hours, around 30 kW DC is usually sufficient to charge most EVs. To meet this demand, wallbox-type DC chargers are essential to the charging infrastructure, offering reasonable charging times and acceptable costs for charging point operators.
Thanks to its powerful bidirectional metering capability with V2G capability, the DCBM 100 is a DC meter designed to ensure complete transparency and allow end users to trust the fairness of their charging experience based on the number of kWh. The DCBM 100 is future-proof, having been specifically developed for 11 kW to 30 kW DC wallbox applications, boasting Class B accuracy and nominal values of 1000 V DC and 80 A for temperatures ranging from -40°C to +80°C. Charging cables can be connected directly to the new meter.
The DCBM 100 also provides other real-time data (voltage, current, power, temperature) that will be fundamental for developing the predictive maintenance tools needed to minimize EV charger downtime. Part of LEM's extensive family of direct current billing meters, the DCBM 100 also facilitates software integration and secure data handling through the modern OCMF (Open Charge Metering Format).
According to Florent Balboni, Product Manager for energy meters at LEM: “The rapid deployment of new products and technologies is crucial to meeting the diverse requirements of EV charging applications. Ensuring fairness and transparency for all users by billing based on kWh is essential for technology adoption. Therefore, DC meters must be specifically tailored to charging applications such as wallbox-type DC chargers, which will play a significant role in the charging infrastructure and the development of advanced V2G services.”
