A split DC charging system divides a fast charger into two boxes: a central power cabinet converts grid AC into DC, and slim dispenser posts — carrying the connector, screen and meter — stand at the parking bays. The system is defined at the drawing stage, not the delivery stage: where the cabinet stands, where each dispenser stands, and what runs underground between them are layout decisions that fix the site’s cost and its room to grow.
Key Takeaways
- A split system is a layout: central conversion cabinet, dispenser posts at the bays, buried DC runs between them.
- The cabinet stands near the supply with service access; dispensers stand where the cars are.
- Cabinet capacity and buried runs installed at build stage are what make later bays cheap to add.
- Layout is not a speed rating — total output, sharing and the car set the pace.
The Two Boxes and the Run Between Them
| Element | What it holds | What fixes its position |
|---|---|---|
| Power cabinet | The AC-to-DC conversion hardware and its cooling | The site’s supply entry point, plus service access around it |
| Dispenser | Connector and cable, screen, payment and metering | The bay it serves — the cable must reach the car’s inlet from where the car parks |
| Buried DC run | The cabling, in duct or trench, linking cabinet to each dispenser | The route the survey sets: distance, ground conditions, surfaces to cross |
Because conversion happens centrally, the cabinet is sized for the whole site while dispensers are comparatively simple. That is the layout’s economic logic: the expensive half is bought once, and bays are added as posts. How the conversion itself works is covered in how DC fast chargers work.
Placing the Cabinet
Three considerations dominate, and all are settled by the site survey rather than by preference:
- Near the supply. The cabinet takes the site’s grid connection, so it usually stands close to where power enters the site, keeping the heavy AC run short.
- Room to work on it. Conversion hardware is the part technicians open and service; the layout must leave access around the cabinet, not fence it into a corner.
- Heat and noise away from drivers. Cooling works hardest in the cabinet. Placing it away from the bays keeps that away from people standing at their cars.
Placing the Dispensers — and Planning for More
Dispensers belong where cars park, positioned so the cable reaches the inlet of a car in the bay without stretching across the next space — a reach check the designer makes bay by bay. The second layout decision is about the future: sites that expect to grow put the cabinet capacity and the buried runs in at build stage, then add dispensers later. Retrofitting buried infrastructure under a finished, operating site is the expensive version of the same work, so the phasing question belongs in the first design conversation. Our guide to choosing a commercial charging station covers the equipment side of that decision.
The All-in-One Layout EVDANCE Sells
EVDANCE’s DC hardware uses the other packaging. The EV-RHDC30K-L is a compact all-in-one DC charger of 22 kW with OCPP 1.6J and an IP54 enclosure: conversion and connector in a single floor-standing cabinet, so there is no separate dispenser and no buried DC run — the layout question reduces to one unit, one bay position, one supply. EVDANCE sells no split DC system. For sites serving two bays from one post on the AC side, the EV-AC03201T dual-connector AC station covers that pattern, and the full range is on our commercial charging page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can dispensers be added to a split system later?
Yes, if the layout planned for it: cabinet capacity headroom and buried runs installed at build stage. Without those, adding a bay means new conversion capacity and new groundworks.
Does a split layout charge faster than an all-in-one unit?
No. Layout does not set speed. The cabinet’s total output, how it is shared between dispensers, and the car’s own limit do.
Who decides where the cabinet and dispensers go?
The site designer and installer, working from a survey and from the utility’s connection point. The cabinet’s position is constrained by the supply; the dispensers’ by the bays.
Related Reading
- How Do DC Fast Chargers Work?
- How Fast Is a DC Fast Charger?
- What Is the Best Commercial EV Charging Station? How to Choose
- How Do Commercial EV Charging Stations Work?
