A supermarket already knows its charging dwell: the time between a car arriving and leaving is the length of a shop, and the store’s own car-park records measure it. Where that dwell sits in the half-hour-to-hour class, one compact DC unit in the front rows can hand a shopper roughly 10–20 kWh during a single shop, before taper — while staff cars, parked for a whole shift, belong on AC rows. The EV-RHDC30K-L is the worked example: a floor-standing, single-connector DC charger rated 22 kW on its product page.
Key Takeaways
- The supermarket dwell is the length of a shop, and the store’s own records measure it.
- One 22 kW DC unit in the front rows adds roughly 10–20 kWh during a shop, before taper and the car’s limits.
- Staff and long-stay cars belong on AC rows; the single DC connector is for shopper turnover.
- Pricing is the store’s own choice; confirm the fitted connector in writing before ordering.
Match the Charger to the Bay’s Job
| Bay row | Who parks there | Dwell shape | Charging that fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front rows by the entrance | Shoppers on the main shop | One shop, then gone | The DC unit: a top-up completed inside the shop |
| General shopper rows | Mixed — quick top-up shops and full shops | Varies through the day | AC posts where the store’s data shows longer stays, or none |
| Staff parking | Staff, all shift | Hours, every day | AC posts; the DC bay stays free for shopper turnover |
The table is a planning shape, not a survey. Which rows actually fill with which dwell is read from the store’s own records — the general case for retail car parks is covered by our guide to EV charging for restaurants and retail; the supermarket version of the decision starts from trolley time, not from the car park’s size.
Start From the Store’s Own Numbers
Entry and exit counts, till peaks and the Saturday-versus-weekday shape tell a store how many drivers would use a during-a-shop charge, and when. The number of DC units follows that peak-hour demand, not the number of parking spaces. Start with one connector and let the session records make the case for a second: because the unit speaks OCPP 1.6J, every session lands in the store’s platform records — when they were, how long they ran, how much energy they delivered — and expansion becomes a decision taken from evidence rather than from the opening week’s enthusiasm.
Running the Bay Well
- Position. The front rows shoppers actually use, signed from the entrance — the operator’s design decision, made once.
- Turnover. One connector serves one car at a time, so short-stop discipline is part of the installation; the rule and its enforcement are the operator’s policy.
- Pricing. Free while shopping, paid, or time-limited are the store’s own choices, set in its platform arrangement. None of them is presented here as the norm — the store decides what the bay is for.
The EV-RHDC30K-L at a Supermarket
The EV-RHDC30K-L is a floor-standing, single-connector DC charger rated 22 kW on its product page, with an LCD and an IP54 enclosure for outdoor car parks. Sessions and pricing run through the store’s charging platform over OCPP 1.6J; access arrangements are the store’s to set. One check before ordering: the listing does not name the DC connector standard, so confirm in writing that the fitted connector matches the cars your customers drive. The unit carries the 3-year standard warranty, and the wider range is on the commercial charging page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much charge does one shop actually add?
Roughly 10 kWh stored in a half-hour shop and about 20 kWh in an hour, as ceiling arithmetic at a sustained 22 kW before taper — and the car’s own DC acceptance may hold a real session below that. Plan on energy, not percentages; the car’s display is the driver’s number.
Should charging be free while people shop?
That is the store’s own pricing decision. Free, paid and time-limited arrangements are all choices operators make; this article claims none of them as standard practice. Set the choice in the platform and sign it at the bay, so drivers know the rule before they plug in.
Can staff use the DC unit between shoppers?
Physically, yes — but staff dwell is a whole shift, which AC rows fit, and every staff session on the single connector is a shopper who cannot use it. Keeping the DC bay for shopper turnover is the operator’s policy call; the hardware serves one car at a time either way.
Related Reading
- EV Charging for Restaurants and Retail: Turning Dwell Time Into Visits
- How Fast Is a DC Fast Charger?
- Level 1 vs Level 2 vs DC Fast Charging: A Practical Comparison
- How Do DC Fast Chargers Work?
