Supervision of charging stations in companies : how to prevent breakdowns and anomalies?

With electric mobility on the rise, more and more companies are installing charging points in their car parks and at employees’ homes. However, an installed charging point is not an operational charging point.

Without effective supervision, anomalies go unnoticed, malfunctions accumulate, breakdowns occur and interventions are delayed. A poorly monitored infrastructure can quickly become a source of frustration and disruption for your organisation.

So how can you detect faults before they happen? What tools can you use to anticipate faults & optimise the management of recharging points? Discover the best practices for optimal supervision in this article.

A reminder : is it compulsory to supervise charging points on company premises?

While the installation of charging points (with a power rating of over 3.7kW) must be carried out by an IRVE-approved installer, there may also be a legal obligation to supervise them.

If your company has a car park open to the public, you are required by law to set up supervision of your charging points. The aim of this regulation is to ensure that your charging points are constantly operational, so as to minimise the risk of breakdowns and malfunctions.

On the other hand, if your car park is private, supervision is not a legal requirement. However, it is strongly recommended to optimise the management of your infrastructure & avoid service interruptions.

Supervision of charging points in companies : how does it work?

In concrete terms: the supervision of charging stations refers to all the technologies and tools used to monitor the status of equipment in real time, anticipate malfunctions and optimise their management.

It includes sensors and real-time feedback systems that continuously analyse each charging point. As soon as an anomaly is detected (such as overheating & loss of connection), an alert is immediately sent to the manager, specifying the charging point concerned, the cause of the incident, and a history of charging sessions. Your manager can then intervene quickly, either remotely via a dedicated management application (such as Sharvy), or by visiting the site directly.

In organisational terms, supervision goes far beyond simply detecting faults and signs of malfunction. It also enables you to manage user access to the charging points (activate & deactivate badges), facilitate reservations, keep track of the history of charging sessions, produce dashboards and monitor the energy consumption of each charging point in real time.

At the same time, you can also manage billing and reimbursements for electricity consumption, greatly simplifying your administrative tasks. The aim is to maximise the use of your terminals, while minimising the risk of breakdowns and ensuring optimum management of your facilities.

What are the main d y sfunctions of recharging stations?

A recharging point can encounter various malfunctions that affect its operation.

The most common problems include the hatch jamming, preventing the vehicle from being plugged in or unplugged. Faults with the RFID reader, making it impossible to identify users. At the same time, electrical faults can also occur, such as loss of the earth loop if the cable is pulled out, abnormal meter readings or malfunctioning circuit breakers.

In addition, a bollard may be affected by a loss of communication with the supervision system, an electronic fault, or a power cut. The way in which these incidents are detected and managed depends largely on the supervision tool used, which determines the type of alerts and the actions to be taken to ensure a rapid return to service.

What solutions do you have in mind for managing the supervision of your corporate charging points?

1. Real-time monitoring via a dedicated application, such as Sharvy.

Why wait for a breakdown before reacting? By adopting a Parking Management application (like Sharvy), you can manage and supervise all your charging points in the blink of an eye.

Using the app, your employees can reserve a parking space equipped with a charging point. Once on site, all they have to do is park and start or stop recharging remotely, while monitoring the power and energy being recharged in real time.

For your part, you have an overview of theiravailability rate. As soon as a malfunction occurs, an alert is instantly sent to your team, enabling you to act quickly.

At the same time, indicator lights on the terminals show the status of the terminal. If this is the case, a few maintenance actions can be carried out: updating firmware, unblocking a connector, restarting a terminal, etc.

These rapid interventions limit interruptions & ensure continuous availability for your staff, without the need for unnecessary travel. Thanks to this proactive approach, supervision becomes a valuable tool for keeping your terminals operational at all times.

2. Predictive maintenance, rather than corrective maintenance.

Predictive maintenance involves anticipating problems before they occur, using data collected in real time by supervision systems (as seen above). By analysing trends & weak signals, you can plan regular interventions, such as replacing parts & optimising software, to prevent breakdowns. This not only extends the life of your kiosks, but also minimises maintenance costs over the long term.

Corrective maintenance, on the other hand, is carried out once a problem has already occurred. Although essential, this approach can lead to unplanned interruptions & additional costs (since it often requires urgent intervention & sometimes a more complex repair).

Furthermore, in the event of a breakdown, it may be necessary to wait for a technician or spare parts to become available, which prolongs the unavailability of the terminals & increases the downtime. A predictive solution minimises these risks by intervening before the problem becomes critical.

3. The integration of AI & IoT in the supervision of charging stations.

Thanks to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), supervision is no longer limited to simple monitoring: it is becoming predictive and autonomous.

AI analyses the data from the terminals in real time to detect signs of possible failure: voltage drop, overheating, abnormal charging cycle, etc. These algorithms enable you to anticipate failures & intervene before a malfunction paralyses your infrastructure.

The IoT connects each terminal to an intelligent network, making it easier to collect and exchange data. The result? Better responsiveness and continuous optimisation of energy management.

But AI doesn’t stop there. It can also automate certain corrective actions. An overloaded terminal? A power adjustment can be triggered automatically. Need a software update? It can be programmed remotely, without human intervention.

This combination of AI & IoT transforms the supervision of bollards into an intelligent system, capable of optimising their use & guaranteeing maximum availability.

4. Responsive technical support: essential to avoid interruptions.

Even with advanced supervision and preventive maintenance, no system is infallible. A bollard that no longer responds, a user who encounters a problem, an unforeseen anomaly… In these situations, how can you prevent the problem from dragging on and disrupting the use of the bollards?

If your manager is unable to resolve the problem, effective technical support must be able to quickly identify the cause of a malfunction & provide a solution, whether remotely or by on-site intervention.

Do you have support capable of responding to alerts in real time? Do you have a maintenance contract in place to guarantee rapid response in the event of a breakdown?

When you use the Sharvy application, you have access to technical support, available Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm. The guaranteed resolution time is 2 hours for a major incident encountered during working hours.

In the event of an incident, an alert can be sent out in just a few clicks, ensuring rapid response. Managers can access the history of interventions, making it easier to monitor and optimise maintenance. It’s a simple, effective way of ensuring that your service is always up and running.

In conclusion

Supervision of charging points in companies is much more than just a technical necessity : it’s a strategic asset for ensuring that your infrastructure is running smoothly.

By anticipating failures & detecting anomalies before they affect your operations, you can guarantee a smooth, uninterrupted experience for your users.

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