Smart charging or load balancing is the concept where your charging station has a connection to the smart meter in your home. This connection allows the charging station to charge at a high power, without the consumption exceeding the maximum power of your meter box. So why is this important?
Most homes have a main fuse of 1 or 3 phase 25 amps, an electric car can charge on a maximum of 3 phase 16 amps in most cases. If this were done without smart charging, it means that your house should not consume more than 9 amps on any of the 3 phases, otherwise the fuses could shoot out, or worse burn out resulting in a fire hazard. With smart charging, the charge post can ensure that the maximum power is not exceeded.
With smart charging, our pole constantly receives signals on how hard it is allowed to charge so that the maximum power is not exceeded. If less than 9 amps are charged across all phases in the house, the charge post can charge at 16 amps. However, if more is being used, say 15 amps, the charge post can adjust the power and temporarily charge at 10 amps until less is being used again.
But what forms of smart charging/load balancing are there actually? You can read about that here.
If you have a connection to the smart meter and still only charge your car at a lower capacity than you think is possible (e.g. 6 amps), click here.