At the end of the month, the difficult question is not how much the charger recorded, but how much belongs to your car and how much to the family member or guest who also charged. If you need a clear answer every month, decide what kind of report you want before choosing the charger.
Good measurement gives everyone the same basis for the discussion. Energy alone is not enough: you also need to know when each session happened and who charged. A MID meter proves most useful when both parties can answer a question from the same data.
Decide on the question before choosing the meter
If you only track your own car, it may be enough to know how much energy passed through the charger that month. With two users, you also want to identify who each session belongs to. For reimbursement of company-car charging, the party requesting the report may determine the breakdown required.
Imagine this conversation: your guest says they charged only once during the month, while you can see the total consumption on the device. Both statements may be right. A session-by-session report explains the difference.
It therefore helps to list the two users separately from their very first sessions. At month-end, you simply retrieve a complete record in which every row can be traced.
What does MID add?
MID is short for the European Measuring Instruments Directive, which includes conformity requirements for electrical energy meters. MID conformity indicates that the meter meets the requirements of the directive that apply to it (Hungarian text of the Measuring Instruments Directive).
Zaptec Pro and Zaptec Go 2 in our current range both include an integrated MID meter. The Go 2 data sheet states Class B. This can be useful at home and in shared installations when measurement data is used regularly (Zaptec Pro, Zaptec Go 2 data sheet).
Access management records who charged; your settlement rules determine the amount payable.
One month, two users, three charging sessions
Suppose the meter reads 1274.60 kWh at the start of the month and 1360.25 kWh at the end. The difference is 85.65 kWh. The completed-session list contains three entries:
| User | Session | Measured energy |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | First session | 18.20 kWh |
| Guest | Only visit | 27.45 kWh |
| Owner | Second session | 40.00 kWh |
| Total | Three sessions | 85.65 kWh |
58.20 kWh belongs to the owner and 27.45 kWh to the guest. The sum of the sessions matches the difference between the two meter readings. That immediately answers the guest's question: they did charge once, and the system measured this amount of energy during that visit.
The example assumes that everything is measured at the same point, the time boundaries match and the session list is complete. A real reconciliation should check all three.
Make the total traceable later
A monthly total can easily be misunderstood. A list containing the date, charger identifier and user shows how it was built. If someone asks about their consumption two months later, you can return to the same reporting period.
Zaptec Portal lets you export charging data filtered by installation, charger and user (Zaptec Portal reporting). In our example, that makes it possible to compare the overall monthly figure with each user's consumption.
Choose an access method that clearly identifies the user for every session. One shared card supplies only a shared identifier; without a separate record, it is difficult to tell afterwards which car charged.
Compare energy measured at the same point
For settlement, look for the kWh figure: this is the amount of energy. kW is the power at a particular moment. A screenshot showing 11 kW does not reveal how much energy was used over the evening.
An increase calculated from the car's battery percentage also describes something different. Energy delivered through the charger can differ from energy stored in the battery because of conversion losses and the car's own consumption during charging. Use figures measured at the same point throughout a monthly reconciliation.
If you also calculate an amount payable, record the unit price of energy and any additional fees. The meter provides the quantity; conditions in Hungary for invoicing or employer reimbursement should be agreed separately with the relevant provider or accountant.
Begin with a trial reconciliation
Before buying, decide who needs the data and how often. Then ask for a sample report from the proposed system and check that it contains the identifiers you need.
At handover, complete one short trial charge with each of two different users. Retrieve both sessions and produce a combined total. You will then know from day one how to track monthly consumption.
Choosing a charger for measurement and reporting?
On our contact page, tell us how many people will use the charger, who needs the report and whether it is for a home or shared car park. We can then help you choose the Zaptec model that fits the task.
