A spare parts strategy for a charging network is not a catalogue order. It is built from your own fault log: which parts failed, on which models, how long each wait cost in downtime, and what the supplier confirmed in writing before the failure. Parts earn their place on a shelf from that evidence. Everything else is stock bought on a guess.
Key Takeaways
- Stock from evidence: the fault log and condition rounds decide what earns a shelf place.
- Hold handled parts close, share model-specific parts regionally, and never stock internals — hold the service route.
- Every model added multiplies the shelf; standardising at purchase is the cheapest spares decision.
- Supplier lead times and wear-part lists exist only as written confirmations — EVDANCE publishes no spares catalogue or lead time.
Start From the Fault Log, Not a Catalogue
Two records feed the strategy. The fault log says what has failed, per port, with the cause found and the downtime it cost. The condition rounds say what is wearing — handled, weather-exposed parts found deteriorating before they fault, the ground the commercial maintenance checklist covers. A part class with no failures and no wear findings does not get stocked, however cheap; a part that failed twice during a long supplier wait gets held close.
The Holding Decision, Part Class by Part Class
| Part class | Evidence that earns it a place | Where it is held | The supplier confirmation behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connector, cable and exterior fittings | Handled at every session; first in the fault log and on condition rounds | On site or at the nearest depot — the wait is measured in lost sessions | Whether the connector-and-cable is a complete swap unit, and which fittings the manual lets the operator replace |
| Access readers and displays | Session failures in the platform record — drivers locked out of a working charger | Regional stock, shared across sites running the same model | The exact part for the exact configuration — readers are rarely interchangeable |
| Power electronics and cabinet internals | Fault codes, not shelf logic — diagnosed, not stocked against | Not held — the service route is held instead: a written arrangement with qualified hands | Who counts as qualified for warranty purposes, confirmed before anyone opens a cabinet |
| A complete spare unit | Downtime arithmetic on single-point sites: one unit down is the site down | One per cluster of alike sites, rotated into service | Commissioning and warranty position of a unit held as a spare |
Model Mix Is a Spares Decision
Every additional model in the estate multiplies the shelf. Connectors, readers, displays and internals rarely interchange across models, and each model needs its own documents, wear-part classification and lead-time answers. Standardising models at purchase is therefore the cheapest spares decision a network makes. Inherited mixed estates are managed as the exception: audit each model’s position separately, and retire the one whose shelf costs most per session served. The pipeline a failed part travels is the spare parts and RMA process; this strategy governs everything before it.
Wear Is Not a Defect: The Warranty Boundary
The shelf and the warranty answer different failures. A defect in the product is claimed on the manufacturer’s written terms — EVDANCE’s standard warranty runs 3 years. Wear, impact damage and vandalism are operating events: the shelf answers them. Keep the two files separate, so a defect is claimed rather than absorbed into maintenance spend. On the vendor side, the only promise that exists is the one in the supplier’s written terms. EVDANCE publishes no spares catalogue, price list or lead time — wear-part classifications, operator-replaceable lists and lead times are confirmed per model, in writing, first.
Hardware That Feeds the Log
The EV-AC03201T dual-connector AC station (two Type 2 connectors sharing up to 43 kW, OCPP 1.6J, RFID, IP54) and the EV-RHDC30K-L compact DC charger (22 kW DC, OCPP 1.6J, IP54) both state OCPP 1.6J, so their faults surface on the operator’s platform as records to stock from. EVDANCE, founded in 2011, offers no platform of its own. Per-model parts questions go through our commercial EV charging team or contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much should a network budget for spare parts?
No sourced figure exists to copy. Build the budget from your own log: what each part class cost last period, in parts and in downtime hours per port. A young network starts from condition-round findings and revises after a year.
Should we stock internal power boards to fix units faster?
No. Cabinet internals are qualified-service territory: diagnosis first, then repair by hands the warranty recognises. Stock the route instead — a service arrangement, plus the evidence pack (serial, fault codes, photos) that starts it cleanly.
Does the warranty make a spares shelf unnecessary?
No. The warranty covers defects on its written terms and runs at the claim’s pace. Wear and damage are not defects, and even a covered defect leaves a wait the shelf exists to shorten.
Related Reading
- EV Charger Spare Parts and RMA Process for Distributors
- Commercial EV Charger Maintenance Checklist
- OCPP Explained: What Charge Point Operators Need From EV Charger Hardware
