How do dual-socket EV chargers share power at your site?

A dual-socket charger gives you connection points for two vehicles, but its total output depends on the equipment and site controls. Under an assumed 22 kW shared limit, equal allocation would be 11 kW per vehicle, before other limits or losses. Load management can distribute available capacity between connected vehicles [S1]. Confirm the actual operating modes before ordering. Checked October 2026.

Last checked 16 October 2026

Can a dual-socket charger charge two vehicles at once?

Specify simultaneous charging as an acceptance requirement. The enclosure’s socket count and its maximum combined output are different purchasing questions. Ask the supplier for the total input, maximum output per outlet and the allocation when both outlets are occupied. Get the answer for the exact model and installation settings.

Energy Saving Trust explains that load management can let more vehicles charge within a connection limit, with more power available to individual vehicles when fewer are connected [S1]. That explains the principle; it does not establish the performance of a particular dual unit.

Record kilowatts (kW), the rate of power delivery, separately from kilowatt-hours (kWh), the energy delivered over time. Read charging speeds explained before comparing the quoted outputs.

Does a dual charger deliver its headline output to each vehicle?

Ask whether the advertised figure means output per socket or output shared across the enclosure. Also ask whether the configured site limit is lower than the equipment rating. Request this information in the quote, commissioning record and driver instructions so each document describes the same installation.

The following is an illustration, not a quote or a product specification. Assume a combined limit of 22 kW and vehicles capable of accepting the assigned power. Ignore losses and charging interruptions for this arithmetic.

Equal sharing in the central illustration is 22 ÷ 2 = 11 kW. These are chosen assumptions. They do not establish that a proposed model supports each allocation, or that a vehicle can accept it. Ask the installer to demonstrate the modes you actually need.

What is the difference between power sharing and site load management?

Use separate requirements for sharing within a charger and limiting demand across your premises. A dual unit’s allocation may manage its outlets without accounting for the kitchen, refrigeration or workshop. Ask where the system measures demand and which equipment is included in its limit.

Energy Saving Trust distinguishes permanently limited charging from dynamic control that monitors site consumption and uses spare capacity when available [S1]. Use that distinction when comparing dynamic load management proposals.

Ask your installer to document the measurement location, communications route, control response and behaviour after a meter or controller fault. Request an electrical design covering the relevant phases and circuits. Do not use the illustrative arithmetic above as an installation instruction.

Will shared power leave your vehicles ready on time?

Compare the energy each vehicle needs with its parking window. Under a chosen constant allocation of 11 kW, an assumed 22 kWh energy requirement takes 22 ÷ 11 = 2 hours before losses. If that allocation falls to 5 kW, the same arithmetic gives 22 ÷ 5 = 4.4 hours. These are illustrative lower-bound calculations, not journey-readiness promises.

Make the installer assess actual vehicle limits, interruptions and competing demand. Give a depot’s earliest departure priority explicitly if that is your operating requirement. For a hotel, discuss whether overnight parking allows a lower allocation. For a short customer visit, test whether shared output still provides a useful service.

Build a schedule from actual arrivals and departures. Read dwell time and charger speed before deciding that a higher equipment rating solves your problem.

Should you buy a dual charger or separate units?

Request both layouts on the same site plan. Compare total installed cost, cable reach, repair access and the consequences of a fault. Ask which shared components could stop both outlets, and whether the alternative layout has common upstream equipment with the same effect.

Include accessible routes and maintenance working space in both drawings. Ask the supplier to show the complete arrangement, rather than comparing equipment prices before the groundwork and controls have been designed.

What evidence should you request before installation?

Write a commissioning test covering arrival of another vehicle, departure, building demand changes and loss of communications. Record output and aggregate demand during each test. Ask for the configuration to be included in the handover pack and for authority to change it to be clearly assigned.

Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) connects charging equipment with management software. Certification records distinguish products and software versions [S3]. Ask the supplier to prove the functions used by your control design. Coordinate unresolved capacity issues through your installer and distribution network operator (DNO), the company managing the local network.

For in-scope private equipment, continued charging without a communications connection is a regulatory requirement [S2]. Ask for a demonstration of the installed controls during that condition. If the chargers will be public, confirm applicable payment provisions with the operator [S5]. These are separate questions from socket count.

OZEV’s workplace scheme uses a per-socket grant cap, subject to eligibility [S4]. Ask the authorised installer to identify the approved equipment and eligible sockets before including support in your budget.

What should you do next?

Bring a vehicle schedule and site plan to the survey. Compare charger quotes, then get matched with an installer that covers your area.

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