In a multi-storey car park, the building usually decides this one. If structural pillars already stand at the bays, a pair of wallboxes mounted on a pillar uses a position already lost to parking. If the deck offers no usable pillar or wall at the bays, a floor-standing dual-connector station like the EV-AC03201T brings its own position — at the cost of floor area and a foundation.
Key Takeaways
- The building decides first: pillar pairs spend existing structure; the floor station spends floor area and a foundation.
- A pillar pair is two independent 22 kW units (44 kW combined, never shared); the station’s connectors share 43 kW.
- Fixing into pillars is the installer’s and structural engineer’s call, not an assumption.
- Pairs fail independently; one station is a single point for its two bays. Price both layouts on the same plan.
Start With What the Building Gives You
Walk the deck before you compare hardware: which mounting position does the structure honestly offer at each pair of bays?
| What the site offers | Pillar pair | Floor station |
|---|---|---|
| Pillars stand at the head of paired bays | Both wallboxes mount on structure already there | Duplicates a position the building already provides |
| Open deck, walls too far from the bays | Nothing at the bay to mount on | Stands on its own foundation at the bays |
| Pillars off-grid from the bay layout | Units land where pillars are, not where cars park | Position is chosen for the bays, not the structure |
| Floor area is the tightest resource | Takes nothing from the floor | The base occupies floor space at its bays |
A pillar grid matching the bay grid is the pair’s best case; ramps, split levels and retrofits break the match, pushing the decision toward the unit that carries its own position.
Power: Independent Ceilings vs a Shared One
The structural choice comes with a power difference, stated plainly. A pillar pair is two separate 22 kW wallboxes — EVDANCE’s is the EV-ACT3204PE, with RFID and app control. Each holds its own 22 kW, so the pair offers 44 kW combined and neither unit can lend the other anything. Each needs its own supply, or a shared run designed for the pair — our basics guide to adding chargers: load calculation basics covers how those draws are totalled.
The station’s two connectors share one 43 kW ceiling with dynamic power allocation: one car alone takes up to 22 kW, two cars together divide the 43 kW. The difference appears only when both cars can accept a full 22 kW at once.
What Each Option Asks From the Building
The pillar pair asks for fixings into structural concrete and cable routes along the structure. Whether a given pillar can be drilled and carry the units is the installer’s call — a structural engineer’s where the structure is in question. Never assume a pillar is fair game because it stands in the right place.
The floor station asks for a foundation — a groundworks project with its own design and records — plus the footprint and any vehicle protection the site adds. One fact runs the other way: the pair fails independently, so one faulty wallbox leaves its neighbour charging, while the station is a single unit for two bays. Sites that cannot tolerate a dark pair of bays sometimes let that settle the argument.
The Two Options
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. The pillar-pair route uses two EV-ACT3204PE 22 kW wallboxes, each independent, each with RFID and app control.
EVDANCE is a Shenzhen manufacturer founded in 2011, and both options carry its 3-year standard warranty. Price both layouts on the same deck plan — the wider commercial charging range covers the rest of the site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can wallboxes be fixed to any car park pillar?
Do not assume so. A pillar is structure: fixing into it, and the loads the units add, are the installer’s call, with a structural engineer where the building is in doubt. The pillar’s position decides whether the idea is useful at all.
Which option charges two cars faster?
Alone at a connector or a wallbox, a car can take up to 22 kW either way. With both bays busy, the pillar pair keeps 22 kW per car — 44 kW combined, never shared — while the station’s connectors divide its 43 kW ceiling. Most paired sessions reach neither ceiling, because the cars ask for less.
Can a car park mix pillar pairs and floor stations?
Yes: pillar pairs where the structure lines up with the bays, floor stations on open levels or where pillars miss them.
Related Reading
- What Is a Dual Port EV Charger? How It Works and How to Choose
- What Is a Pedestal EV Charger?
- Adding EV Chargers to a Building: Load Calculation Basics
