Checklist for your own charging station - what you really need to consider

1. Clarify technical requirements

A charging station is not a household appliance – it requires its own fused cable and must match the charging capacity of the vehicle.

Important points:

• – Check vehicle and plug type (usually type 2)

• – Define the required charging power (e.g. 11 kW vs. 22 kW)

• – Separate circuit & sufficient cable cross-section

• – Intermediate meter for consumption separation if necessary (e.g. for rental or company cars)

Tip: Even if only one vehicle is being charged today – plan the connection so that additional charging points can be added later.

2. Check grid connection & power limits

Whether a single-family home, underground parking garage or commercial location: the available connected load determines whether and how many charging points can be operated immediately.

• – Registration with the grid operator is mandatory
• – for ≥ 12 kW charging power: approval required
• – Load management can avoid expensive grid expansion costs

More about energy management: here

3. Structural requirements & installation

Depending on the location, further work may be necessary:

• – Wall mounting or stand
• – Cable routes / breakthroughs / civil engineering
• – Weather protection & theft protection
• – Sufficient space for future expansion

4. Safety & standards

A charging station may only be installed by qualified electricians (DIN VDE 0100-722 / DIN VDE 1000-10).

To be checked:

• – RCD (RCD type A EV or B)
• – Circuit breaker
• – Overload and overvoltage protection
• – User approval (e.g. RFID, app, backend)

5. Thinking about the future & scalability

The most common planning errors do not occur today – but later, for example when more people want to load or a company car is added.

• – Therefore clarify at an early stage:
• – Is the solution scalable?
• – Should PV surplus charging be possible?
• – Will a statement be needed later?
• – Should several users be managed?

Software is crucial here – not the hardware.

6. billing, monitoring & user management

As soon as several people are charging – e.g. employees, tenants or company car drivers – a “simple wallbox” is no longer sufficient.

With the reev Platform you can:

• – Automatic billing of charging processes
• – Create user roles & tariffs
• – Record consumption separately
• – Centrally control & monitor charging points

7. Installation by qualified electricians only

Important: Not every electrician is certified for charging infrastructure.
Pay attention to:

• – Experience with charging points
• – Knowledge of standards & reporting obligations
• – Additional qualification for energy management / PV coupling, if applicable

A charging station is more than just hardware

Anyone planning a charging facility today should not only think about the charging cable, but also about long-term use. Grid connection, load management, user management, billing, scaling and the integration of energy sources such as PV are now among the key factors of a future-proof charging infrastructure.

A single wallbox may be sufficient for the start – but as soon as additional vehicles are added, users change or billing obligations arise, an intelligent software solution is required.

With the reev Platform charging points are controlled centrally, charging processes are billed automatically, users are managed and the infrastructure is expanded flexibly – from the first charging point to a scalable overall solution.