Optimal protection for home charging stations and electric cars

Suitable surge protection can protect the charging station and the electric vehicle connected in the carport from costly damage. The CHARX protect product family from Phoenix Contact now includes a new IP65-protected surge protection box specifically for this application.

The danger of surge voltages, which can be caused by switching operations in the supply network or by lightning strikes, is often unknown to installers and end users. Even if surge protection is already installed in the main distributor box, it may provide insufficient protection in the case of long cable routes to the home charging station, for example if the station is located in a carport some distance away. When a suitable surge protective device is installed in sufficient proximity to the home charging station, it can prevent costly damage to the charging station and vehicle.

The new surge protection box is designed to protect home charging stations with charging powers from 11 to 22 kW. All connections of the integrated Type 2 protective device are equipped with Push-in connection technology, which enables tool-free and fast wiring and eliminates the need to ensure the connection torque. The housing, made of glass fiber-reinforced polycarbonate, meets the impact protection rating IK08 and is therefore very robust, shockproof, and weatherproof. The IP65 degree of protection means that the box can be used in weather-protected outdoor areas.

The feeding AC cable can be fed into the housing either at the top or at the bottom so the installation can match the existing cable routing. The cable glands used can be flexibly adapted to the cross-sections of commercially available cables from 2.5 to 6 mm², in some cases even up to 10 mm², without reducing the IP degree of protection. The integrated pressure compensation element prevents condensation from forming in the housing.