Short answer: a dual-gun DC charger is one power unit with two cables. Its rating is what the two guns deliver together, so two cars plugged in at once share it. Two separate chargers each deliver their own rating, so two cars never share anything. For the same total power the supply you need from the DISCOM is about the same either way. What differs is footprint, what happens when one unit fails, and how well the power follows the cars. Our rule of thumb: one dual-gun unit where the bays sit side by side and the plot is tight, two units where a dead charger costs you a customer.
What "dual gun" actually means
Every Nova has two CCS2 guns on 5-metre cables, one each side of the cabinet. Inside is one set of power modules. A Nova 120 can give one car all 120 kW, or two cars a share of 120 kW between them. It cannot give two cars 120 kW each. The number on the badge is the cabinet, not the gun.
That sounds like a catch. It mostly is not, because of what the cars can take. A mass-market car stops well short of half a Nova 120, so two of them plugged in together both charge at their own full rate. The sharing only bites when two hungry cars arrive at once, say two premium SUVs on a Nova 120, or two mid-market cars on a Nova 60.
Fixed split or moving split
How the share is divided matters. The Nova 240 is built with dynamic load sharing: power moves between the guns as the two cars' needs change. A car that is tapering near 80% hands its spare power to the car that has just plugged in at 15%, which is exactly when that car can use it. Over a busy afternoon that is the difference between two cars finishing together and one waiting on the other.
If dynamic sharing matters to your site, ask for it in the proposal by name, for whichever model you buy, and get the behaviour written down. A charger that halves its output the moment a second car connects, and holds that split until both leave, wastes power every time the cars are not alike.
One cabinet or two: the honest comparison
| Question | One dual-gun charger | Two single chargers |
|---|---|---|
| Supply from the DISCOM | About the same for the same total power | About the same for the same total power |
| Plinths, cable runs, breakers | One of each | Two of each |
| Bays served | Two, side by side, within reach of 5-metre cables | Two, anywhere on the plot |
| One car on its own | Can take the whole rating | Capped at one unit's rating |
| Two hungry cars at once | They share the rating | Each gets its unit's full rating |
| A fault in the cabinet | Both guns stop; a damaged cable stops only its own gun | One bay keeps charging |
| Software, payments, network | One charger to manage | Two, on the same dashboard |
The supply line surprises people. The DISCOM sanctions what the site can draw, and a cabinet that can deliver 120 kW draws about what two cabinets of 60 kW draw between them. Our product pages state each charger's supply need, and the Nova 120's is very close to two Nova 60s'. So the choice is rarely about the electricity connection. It is about the plot and the risk.
Where each one wins
- Tight forecourt, two bays next to each other: one dual-gun unit. One plinth, one cable trench, one thing to look after, and a single car can have the full rating when it is alone.
- Highway stop that lives on reputation: two units, or two dual-gun units once traffic justifies it. A driver who finds the only charger dead posts about it. A driver who finds one of two dead charges at the other.
- Fleet depot on a schedule: two units. Shift change is when every car arrives hungry at once, and that is when sharing hurts most.
- Dealership or hotel, cars arrive one at a time: one dual-gun unit. The second gun is for the occasional overlap, not the daily load.
- Bays apart, across a plot or two sides of a building: two units. Five metres of cable does not cross a driveway.
What we would not do
We would not buy a bigger dual-gun charger to avoid buying a second one later. If the site will one day need four guns, plan the supply, the trench and the plinths for four on day one, and add the second cabinet when the sessions say so. And we would not judge a dual-gun charger by its badge alone. Ask what one car gets, what two cars get, and how the split moves. If the answer is vague, the split probably does not move.
Next: check which band the cars around your site fall into in what each car takes from a DC charger, and how much power your plot can get in LT or HT. Or book a site study and we will lay the bays out on your plot.
Frequently asked questions
Does a 120 kW dual-gun charger give 120 kW to each car?
No. 120 kW is what the two guns deliver together. One car alone can take all of it; two cars share it.
Do two cars on a dual-gun charger both charge slowly?
Only if together they ask for more than the rating. Two mass-market cars on a Nova 120 both charge at their own full rate, because neither can take half of it.
What is dynamic load sharing?
Power moving between the two guns as the cars' needs change, so a car that is tapering hands spare power to one that has just plugged in. The Nova 240 is built with it.
Does a dual-gun charger need a bigger electricity connection than two single chargers?
No. For the same total power the supply need is about the same. Each charger's product page states the supply it needs.
What happens if a dual-gun charger develops a fault?
A fault in the shared cabinet stops both guns, while a damaged cable stops only its own gun. With two separate chargers, one bay keeps working whatever fails. That is the main reason to choose two units on a site that depends on reliability.
