Edge Computing Gateway ARMxy: A Typical Application in EV Charging Station Data Acquisition and Smart Management

With the rapid growth of new energy vehicles, charging piles have become core nodes of urban energy infrastructure. Traditional charging piles that only perform the “charging” function can no longer meet the needs of operation platforms for real-time monitoring, remote maintenance, data analytics, and standardized interconnection.

BL340, an intelligent gateway designed specifically for industrial edge scenarios, bridges charging piles and operation platforms efficiently, reliably, and securely with its rich industrial interfaces, high-performance computing power, and open SDK. It is now widely deployed in public charging stations, commercial parking lots, highway service areas, and similar scenarios.

I. BL340 Hardware Features Perfectly Match Charging Pile Requirements

BL340 is optimized for charging pile data acquisition:

• 2× Ethernet ports + 4G full-network support — dual wired/wireless redundancy ensures stable data upload even in complex network environments
• 4× RS485 interfaces + optional CAN interface — can connect up to 10+ devices simultaneously (energy meters, DC charging modules, insulation monitors, temperature sensors, access control, etc.)
• 1GB RAM + 8GB eMMC storage — easily handles multiple concurrent processes without resource bottlenecks
• Open SDK — supports Linux secondary development; customers can customize firmware according to their own platform needs

After collecting field instrument data via Modbus RTU/TCP or CAN bus, BL340 pushes the data to the cloud platform/operation server in real time using WebSocket or HTTPS protocols, achieving second-level response.

II. Three Core Application Scenarios

1. Running OCPP Application (Java Development)

OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol) is the global standard communication protocol between charging piles and backend operation platforms. BL340 natively supports a Java runtime environment, allowing customers to directly deploy their self-developed OCPP 1.6 / OCPP 2.0.1 server or client programs.

Typical workflow:

• The local controller of the charging pile reports charging gun status, voltage/current, SOC, transaction records, etc. to BL340 via Modbus/CAN
• The OCPP Java application running inside BL340 handles protocol conversion, authentication, heartbeat, remote start/stop, tariff delivery, and all other interactions
• Secure bidirectional real-time communication with the cloud platform via WebSocket, fully compatible with mainstream domestic and international charging operation platforms (StarCharge, TELD, ABB, ChargePoint, etc.)

No additional industrial PC is required — a single BL340 completes the full “pile-to-platform” protocol docking, significantly reducing system integration cost.

2. Running Telegraf Data Collection Agent for Unified Multi-protocol Acquisition

BL340 comes with a lightweight Telegraf agent (from InfluxData) that can collect data from:

• Modbus TCP/RTU energy meters and charging modules
• CAN bus BMS information
• Digital/analog sensors (door status, leakage, temperature, etc.)

Key advantages:

• Sampling rate up to 1 second per cycle; local cache for 48 hours (no data loss during disconnection)
• Direct push to InfluxDB, MQTT, Kafka, HTTP, and other backends
• Runs in parallel with the OCPP application without interference, providing dual assurance at both protocol and raw data layers

Even if the cloud platform has not yet implemented OCPP, Telegraf enables fast basic data monitoring.

3. Running WireGuard VPN for Secure Remote Maintenance

Charging piles are usually deployed outdoors, making on-site maintenance expensive. BL340 pre-installs WireGuard (a modern, high-performance VPN protocol) — only one line of configuration is needed to establish an encrypted tunnel with the maintenance center.

Practical value:

• Remote SSH/Web access to BL340 and downstream devices for firmware upgrade, parameter configuration, and fault diagnosis
• Encrypted transmission + extremely low latency (<10 ms), far superior to traditional OpenVPN
• Supports 4G network traversal — remote access is possible even without a public IP at the charging station
• Multi-device networking: one cloud server can manage hundreds of BL340 units, truly realizing “one network manages thousands of piles”

III. Real Deployment Benefits

After deploying BL340 across 200 charging stations, one operator achieved the following significant improvements:

• System integration cycle reduced from 6 weeks to 5 days
• Average maintenance response time dropped from 4 hours to 15 minutes
• Data completeness rate increased to 99.98% (automatic retransmission on reconnection)
• Hardware cost reduced by 45% compared to the traditional “industrial PC + router + protocol gateway” solution

Conclusion

With its combination of rich interfaces + high-performance edge computing + open SDK, BL340 perfectly addresses the three major pain points in charging pile scenarios: difficult multi-protocol access, expensive remote maintenance, and data security risks.

Whether for new charging stations or retrofitting existing piles, a single BL340 enables fast OCPP standardization, real-time data acquisition, and secure remote maintenance — helping operators build an efficient, intelligent, and scalable charging network.

If you are planning a charging pile project or looking for an edge gateway replacement solution, feel free to contact us for the complete BL340 technical whitepaper and demo programs. We can also provide a customized one-stop firmware solution integrating OCPP + Telegraf + WireGuard to help you go live faster!