Charging hardware looks similar in a brochure. The differences live in the factory — and in the contract. Before you wire a deposit, get written answers to these ten questions.
The ten questions
- Who manufactures the control board? If the answer is "a supplier", ask where and how faults are traced. Board-level control is the single biggest quality lever in a charger.
- Which certifications cover this exact model? Ask for certificate numbers, not "CE compliant". Verify the model number matches.
- Is OCPP 1.6J certified — and is 2.0.1 available? Protocol claims are cheap; certification documents are not.
- Does every unit run an aging test? The correct answer includes duration and load level — EMS-Charge runs 24-hour full-load aging on 100% of units.
- What is the real lead time — including certification for my market? A charger without your market's certificates is a paperweight on your dock.
- Can you do OEM branding at my volume? Get the MOQ for logo, packaging, app and manual in writing.
- What exactly does the warranty cover? Electronics, cable, display, labor, shipping — all of it, in writing.
- How do you handle after-sales in my time zone? Remote diagnostics via OCPP before any part ships is the modern standard.
- Can I audit the factory? Any serious vendor says yes — on-site or by video, before or after the order.
- Who owns my data? Charging data is operator data. If the contract is vague, the vendor owns your business intelligence.
Printable version
| # | Question | Vendor answer | Docs provided? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Control board origin | ||
| 2 | Certificate numbers | ||
| 3 | OCPP versions certified | ||
| 4 | Aging test scope | ||
| 5 | Lead time incl. certification | ||
| 6 | OEM MOQ | ||
| 7 | Warranty scope | ||
| 8 | After-sales process | ||
| 9 | Audit policy | ||
| 10 | Data ownership |
How EMS-Charge answers
We manufacture our own control boards; certification numbers are shared at the RFQ stage; every unit is aged 24 hours at full load; OEM MOQ starts at 50 units; and our standard warranty is 2 years, extendable to 5. Put the checklist to us.
