A dealership runs two charging jobs that never wait for each other: display cars that must sit fully charged and ready for a test drive, and service cars that arrive at whatever charge the customer left them with. One dual-connector station runs both jobs at once — a connector for the display side, a connector for the service side. The EV-AC03201T is built for that split: two Type 2 connectors sharing up to 43 kW, RFID access for staff, OCPP 1.6J session records, and a floor-standing cabinet that can stand on the forecourt or by the workshop.
Key Takeaways
- Display and service charging are different jobs; one dual-connector station runs both at once, a connector each.
- Neither job is a race — top-ups take minutes, service stays take hours, and the shared 43 kW ceiling serves both.
- The third car is the real constraint: a service-desk rota, not the hardware, handles busy days.
- Forecourt presentation and customer access are the dealer’s own standards and policy, enforced by RFID and recorded by the platform.
Two Jobs, Two Connectors
| Display cars | Service cars | |
|---|---|---|
| The job | Hold a high, presentable charge so any car can be demonstrated at short notice | Charge during diagnosis, work and waiting time, and hand the car back with more than it arrived with |
| The pattern | Long plugged-in stays, small top-ups after each test drive | Unpredictable arrival charge; the stay is set by the workshop’s schedule, not the battery |
| What “ready” means | Full enough that a demonstration never starts with an apology | Whatever the job card promised — agreed with the customer at drop-off |
| The cost of getting it wrong | A flat display car in front of a customer | A handover argument about a car returned emptier than expected |
Keeping the jobs on separate connectors is what makes both reliable: the service side can absorb a nearly empty arrival without touching the display car’s charge, and the display side never waits behind a workshop queue. Our published dealership charging guide covers the wider install decision; this article is about running the two jobs once a dual-connector station is in.
The Day’s Arithmetic
The numbers are modest, and labelled as illustrations at the station’s stated ceilings. A test drive uses a few kWh; a display car on a 22 kW connector replaces that in minutes, then sits at its target. A service car that arrives low and stays for a three-hour job can take up to 60 kWh or so in that window before tapering — more than most services need to hand back a healthy charge. When both connectors run together, the station allocates its 43 kW total between them; neither job notices, because neither job is a race. The pattern to avoid is the third car: two connectors serve two cars, so a busy day needs a rota — which car takes which connector next — owned by the service desk, not improvised at the cabinet. Fleet-style sizing logic, covered in our depot charging guide, applies when a dealership outgrows one station.
Presentation Is the Dealer’s Own Standard
On a forecourt, the charger is customer-facing furniture. The EV-AC03201T presents drivers with a 7-inch touchscreen and starts sessions by RFID, so staff cards keep public hands off the service connector while the display connector can be run to whatever arrangement the dealership chooses. Cable tidiness, bay markings and where the cabinet stands relative to the display row are the dealership’s own standards — set them the way you set the standards for the cars themselves, because customers read the site as one picture. Access for customers is likewise the dealer’s policy: some sites open a connector to buyers awaiting delivery, others keep both connectors staff-only, and the platform records either way, per session.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is one dual-connector station enough for a dealership?
For the display-plus-service pattern, usually yes: the two jobs run in parallel on separate connectors, and neither is time-critical. A site whose service volume regularly queues a third car has outgrown one station — the session records will show it before the complaints do.
Can customers use the dealership’s station?
If the dealership chooses. Access is controlled by RFID and the platform, so a connector can be staff-only, customer-open, or split by arrangement — it is a policy setting, not a hardware limit.
Does the display car lose charge when a service car plugs in?
No. The two connectors share the station’s 43 kW ceiling, so a busy service connector can reduce the rate available to the other connector — but a display car holding its charge needs almost nothing, and a top-up after a test drive still takes minutes.
Related Reading
- EV Charging for Car Dealerships: What to Install and Why
- What Is a Dual Port EV Charger? How It Works and How to Choose
- Fleet Depot Charging: How to Size AC Chargers for Vans and Light Commercial Vehicles
- How Do Commercial EV Charging Stations Work?
