Achieving continuous uptime and remote operability across wide deployment networks has become a defining factor for success in the competitive EV charging industry.
EV charger uptime can impact business operations, user experience, funding eligibility and brand reputation. In the United States for example, the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program requires public EV chargers to maintain at least 97% uptime and share real-time data on availability and accessibility to qualify for incentive funding.
For EV charger manufacturers, meeting these standards requires not only durable hardware but also intelligent management tools that can proactively detect issues, minimise downtime and strengthen cybersecurity.
Here’s how Advantech helped one North America-based EV charging system manufacturer overcome these challenges.
The customer’s pain points
The manufacturer faced multiple challenges while scaling their charging infrastructure:
- Uptime reliability: Maintaining continuous operation across hundreds of distributed chargers to meet NEVI’s 97% uptime threshold.
- High maintenance costs: Manual on-site servicing caused delays, increased operational expenses and reduced service availability.
- Cybersecurity compliance: Growing concerns about data protection, endpoint safety and compliance with industrial cybersecurity standards such as IEC 62443.
- Complex remote management: Limited visibility into remote devices made it difficult to monitor system performance, update software or troubleshoot efficiently.
- Application flexibility: Integrating new AI-based or diagnostic applications required a more agile platform for deployment and performance optimisation.
These pain points highlighted the need for a reliable, secure and remotely manageable edge solution to ensure charger availability, reduce field maintenance and strengthen operational control.
Intelligent remote management
Advantech’s DeviceOn delivers centralised, secure and intelligent remote management for distributed EV charging systems. The platform provides:
- Zero-touch provisioning and onboarding for new charger installations.
- Real-time telemetry for system health and performance monitoring.
- Secure over-the-air (OTA) updates for firmware, OS and application patches.
- Container-based deployment for AI and smart maintenance applications.
- Out-of-band (OOB) recovery through EdgeBMC to ensure uptime even during system failures.
Why remote management matters
EV charging networks are geographically distributed and often located in public or outdoor environments. With DeviceOn:
- Downtime is reduced through proactive monitoring and EdgeBMC OOB recovery.
- Technician costs and risk are minimised by enabling centralised, remote troubleshooting.
- Regulatory compliance with DOE/DOT 97% uptime requirements is easily demonstrated.
- System scalability is achieved through unified management of thousands of edge devices.
The AFE-E350 EVSE control board
Advantech’s AFE-E350 single board computer is designed specifically for EV charger builders who require performance, reliability and robust connectivity in a compact form factor.
EdgeBMC ensures system reliability through independent networking and hardware-level recovery, allowing remote reboot and troubleshooting even if the operating system becomes unresponsive.
An integrated solution
The software ecosystem enhances reliability, security and manageability for EV infrastructure deployments:
- Windows IoT Enterprise – robust, real-time capable operating system providing long-term stability, security updates and enterprise-level device control support.
- Edge Security Suite – combines Acronis Backup & Restore and Trellix Endpoint Security, meeting IEC 62443 cybersecurity compliance standards.
- DeviceOn Management Platform – Centralised device visibility, On Screen Display (OSD) control and OTA updates for chargers and controllers.
- DeviceOn Container Management – Supports modular application deployment for continuous operational optimization.
A positive outcome
By integrating DeviceOn, EdgeBMC and the AFE-E350 control board, the EV charger manufacturer achieved:
- Guaranteed reliability – uptime improved to meet the 97% NEVI compliance benchmark.
- Enhanced security – End-to-end protection from firmware to edge endpoints.
- Operational efficiency – Fewer site visits and faster recovery.
- Agile deployment – Simplified containerised application rollout and updates.
An integrated hardware and software solution—combining the AFE-E350 EVSE control board, EdgeBMC out-of-band control, and DeviceOn remote management—empowers EV charging manufacturers to achieve continuous uptime, compliance and operational excellence. The result is a resilient, intelligent and secure EV charging network aligned with U.S. federal infrastructure standards.
if you need remote manage solutions for your next project, ESIS can help. Contact us now to get the right advice and equipment.
Article courtesy of Advantech.
