The market for self-service EV charging kiosks is exploding in Korea, largely off the back of the self-service fuel dispenser market which grew quickly over the past 2 decades. The market opportunity for these EV charging systems is especially promising because the Korean government is supporting the EV charging roll-out, and of course worldwide EV usage is also increasing rapidly. It is estimated that more than 2,000 devices will be deployed in Korea over the next few years, and revenues will reach USD 700K.
Here we will take a look at the specialised industrial grade screen and computer used inside these kiosks, and what makes them unique.
Challenge
A leading industrial company in Korea was looking for an integrated kiosk screen and controller solution for their new EV charging station, that met all the government’s safety and outdoor environment requirements. The integrated solution needs to be rugged, flexible, and durable. In addition, global warranty and support are needed for customer’s international business. For outdoor usability the screen needed to be very high brightness, and the whole system must also tolerate very wide temperature excursions.
Solution
For the EV charging system, Advantech combined IDK-2115, a 15” XGA 1200cd/m2 ultra-high brightness industrial display kit with MIO-5251, 3.5” rugged single board computer.
Wide Temperature Support
To ensure stable operability under a harsh outdoor environment, the integrated system needs to comprise rugged and durable hardware. MIO-5251 SBC with RAM/mSATA SQFlash SSD supports operating temperatures between -40°C~85°C for critical environments. Moreover, it supports the combination of SBC and LCD display. IDK-2115 LCD kit supports wide temperature operation of -20° C ~ 60° C making the device ideal for any outdoor location.
Flexible Expansion and Multiple I/O Options
MIO-5251 is equipped with multiple I/O options on ports such as 2 x RS-232 and 2 x RS-232/422/485, and 2 x Giga Ethernet which can connect to several devices such as printers or POS. The customer could also expand I/O ports quickly through the MI/O extension connector to meet any urgent upgrade needs and CPU performance was boosted based on new requirements.
Superior Outdoor Visibility with Advanced Reliability
Advantech provided IDK-2115, a 15” LCD kit with ultra-high brightness and optical bonding solution which together perfectly met the outdoor requirements. Advantech designed an advanced LED backlight and boosted the brightness from the original 400 cd/m2 to 1200 cd/m2, making it appear bright and clearly readable even in direct strong sunlight. The anti-glare coating on the cover glass also enhanced the readability of the display, improved vandal resistance and protected the display from dust and moisture.
The resulting smart self-service EV charging station was easy to use even in direct sunlight, and rugged and reliable enough to operate under all weather conditions.
ESIS is the leading manufacturer and supplier of electronic industrial equipment in the Australian market since 1971. Contact us right away to discuss your requirements.
Article courtesy Advantech.
