AC is the better fit when cars park for hours: the EV-AC03201T puts up to 22 kW per connector into cars that are standing anyway, at far lower installation cost than DC. DC wins the opposite case — drivers stopping for minutes on a journey. The deciding variable is dwell time: match charger speed to the time the car is already parked.
Key Takeaways
- Dwell time decides: hours parked means AC destination charging; minutes stopped means DC fast charging.
- DOE-cited US figures put DC fast charging an order of magnitude above public Level 2 per connector, in both equipment and installation.
- AC figures in this article are worked arithmetic at up to 22 kW per connector, capped by each car’s onboard charger.
- A compact DC unit of 22 kW is the middle option, and mixed AC-plus-DC sites are a normal layout.
Start With Dwell Time
The technologies themselves are explained in our guides to whether EV chargers are AC or DC and the comparison of charging levels. For a site decision, one question matters: how long the car stays:
| How long the car stays | What the stop can use | Better fit |
|---|---|---|
| About 20–40 minutes — a journey break | As much energy as possible, immediately | DC fast charging — the U.S. DOT’s 50–350 kW class |
| About 1–3 hours — shopping, leisure, appointments | Roughly 20–60 kWh stored per connector, at up to 22 kW sustained, allowing about 10% losses | AC destination charging |
| A working day or overnight — workplace, hotel, depot | A full charge, with hours to spare | AC — extra speed buys nothing the parked car can use |
The middle row is worked arithmetic, not a rating — an hour at 22 kW sustained puts roughly 20 kWh into the battery. Every row assumes the car can accept the rate: AC charging is capped by the car’s onboard charger, and DC sessions slow as batteries fill.
The Cost Structure Is Not Close
U.S. DOE-cited figures put DC fast charging at about $38,000–$90,000 equipment plus $20,000–$60,000 installation per unit, against public Level 2 at about $3,500 equipment plus $2,500 installation per connector. Those are US figures, not quotes for your site — but the gap is structural, not a pricing detail: DC fast charging carries far more power electronics per connector and asks the supply for a much larger connection, which the site’s load calculation has to find room for.
The expensive mistake runs one way: installing DC where cars park all day means paying for speed that the dwell time never uses. The reverse mistake — AC where drivers stop for twenty minutes — fails the drivers instead.
Where DC Still Wins, and the Middle Option
None of this argues against DC fast charging on its own ground: journey corridors, quick-turnaround fleets and any site whose business is the short stop — see how fast a DC fast charger is for what that class delivers.
Between the two sits a middle step. EVDANCE’s EV-RHDC30K-L is a compact DC charger of 22 kW DC with OCPP 1.6J and an IP54 enclosure — faster than AC for a turnaround bay, with far lower supply and installation demands than corridor-class DC. Mixed sites are a normal answer too: AC stations across the long-stay bays, one DC unit where the quick stop happens, each sized by its own load calculation.
The AC Side of the Decision
The EV-AC03201T is a floor-standing dual-connector AC station: two Type 2 connectors, up to 43 kW shared (22 kW per connector) with dynamic power allocation, OCPP 1.6J, RFID access, a 7-inch touchscreen and an IP54 enclosure. It is destination hardware: it does not claim DC speeds, and on a long-stay site does not need them. EVDANCE is a Shenzhen manufacturer founded in 2011; the station carries its 3-year standard warranty. Operators splitting a site can review the full commercial charging range.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 22 kW per connector enough for a workplace?
Work it from your own numbers: hours parked, times up to 22 kW, less about 10% losses, capped by each car’s onboard charger. For cars parked four hours or more, that covers a large share of a battery — the limit is usually the car’s acceptance, not the station.
When should a site choose DC instead?
When the stop itself is the product: journey breaks, quick turnarounds, drivers who will not wait an hour. If cars arrive in order to park, AC fits. If they arrive in order to leave again quickly, DC fits. Our piece on why DC fast charging is expensive covers that side.
Can one site run both AC and DC?
Yes — AC across the long-stay bays, a compact DC unit for the turnaround bay, each sized on its own figures. Where the hardware speaks OCPP, one platform can manage both.
Related Reading
- Are EV Chargers AC or DC?
- Level 1 vs Level 2 vs DC Fast Charging: A Practical Comparison
- How Fast Is a DC Fast Charger?
- Why Is DC Fast Charging So Expensive?
