How Do You Charge An Electric Car At Home
How do you charge an electric car at home? is one of the most popular questions first-time electric car owners have. This is because charging a car can typically be a very foreign experience. There are a number of new terminologies involved with charging a car such as amps, kilowatt hours, and the three levels of charging. Undoubtedly, this may be overwhelming at first, however, over time and in addition to resources like this, many drivers quickly realize it really is just as easy as charging a phone.
Equip Your Home With A Level 2 Charging Station
If you plan on charging your EV at home, the next key step is to equip your home with a level 2 charging station. These vary more and more in response to the increase of electric vehicle models available today. Youâll consequently have to choose a charging station that best suits your needs and your lifestyle.
Some models are mounted to a wall, others are available as plug-in versions and can be moved. There are âsmartâ level 2 charging stations that allow you to view your charging history or even schedule charging sessions at specific times of the day. Some charging stations are better suited for cold weather than others.
Yes, there are many factors to consider when you decide to purchase a Level 2 charging station for your home. But fear not! The ChargeHub Team has prepared a guide on How to Choose Your Home Charging Station. Letâs take a look, shall we?
How To Prepare Your Garage Of The Future For Electric Cars
Whether you are planning a new home build or looking to renovate your existing garage, you should put careful thought into how to prepare your garage for electric car charging. Even if you dont plan on using an electric car anytime soon, its inevitable that you or the next owner of your home will rely on one for transportation. If nothing else, think resale value.
From which charger to buy to where to install it, and even which accessories you should invest in, theres a lot to consider. As a result, weve put this guide together to help simplify the process. Continue reading to learn what should go into your garage of the future.
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Choosing And Installing A Charging Station
Whether you already drive an electric vehicle or are thinking of getting one, charging plays a critical role in driving an EV. Learn more about the available charging options and get help with choosing and installing the right charging station for your home.
There are three types of charging stations for electric vehicles : Level 1, Level 2 and Direct Current .
The Faster The Charging The Higher The Rate
Unlike a typical 240-volt Level 2 home charger system, you will find Level 3 chargers in commercial settings because theyre prohibitively expensive for a private individual to get installed at home.
Tesla uses its own dedicated Supercharger network with more than 35,000 across the globe. But the rates can vary widely depending on region, timing, the Tesla model youre charging, and the tier you choose for your recharge speeds. Tesla offers four charging tiers. One important caveat: Tesla Superchargers only work for Tesla vehicles. That is until the network opens up to other EVs in the United States. The non-Tesla Supercharger pilot began in November 2021 in Europe.
Voelcker stresses that home charging is the best option for anyone considering an electric car. Yet, equally important is knowing where to find EV perks close to home.
Some workplaces offer charging for employees cars But electric-car owners quickly learn which public stations near them are free, which charge for charging, and how much they cost, he said.
For example, a bustling parking lot in a crowded city center might lure EV owners with the promise of free electric car charging. But the resultant fee for parking there could easily zoom past what youd have paid to fill up even the thirstiest gas-powered car or truck. Still, drivers will find the network of chargers growing with plenty of free options, including at malls, hotels, grocery stores, and more.
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Why Is Charging An Ev At Home Important
The 110-volt and 240-volt outlets found in homes across the Cincinnati area make EV charging extremely convenient. While our city is taking small steps to offer more EV charging stations to drivers, they are still difficult to come by and often not on your direct route.
While you wait for local politicians to make EV charging stations available across the area, can you plug an electric car into a regular outlet at home?
The answer is yes! Your home, a friends home, any home! But, if you bring an extension cord along to plug in your EV when you visit your mom or hang out at a friends, they are the ones paying for your charge not very friendly.
Charge your EV overnight while you sleep for a full charge, and your vehicle is ready for the following day.
Electric Car Charging Station Location Apps
First things first: Download a charging station location app to your smartphone. Every EVs built-in navigation system can point you toward charging stations. But that is only half the battle. You will want the latest information, and many apps can tell you if the plugs are in use and if there is some fault with the station. This can save you tons of frustration.
Individual charging networks have their own apps. However, a widely used app is PlugShare, which relies on users to supply current information about charging stations. Youll find out about any recent changes and developments. For instance, is the EV charger in a parking lot now under construction, or are those chargers temporarily off-limits or charging slower than usual?
PlugShare works with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay so that you can pull it up from most late-model EV touchscreens.
A good backup to download and utilize is ChargePoint. Sometimes it is easy to compare the two, and many users report that ChargePoint is more user-friendly than other apps.
Using the apps from charging station providers such as EVgo, Electrify America, and ChargePoint streamlines payment and allows for monitoring of your vehicles charging status.
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Charging An Electric Car Overnight Cheapest Way
In addition to the convenience of charging at home, the cheapest electricity rates happen to be overnight. Therefore, not only is charging at home the most convenient way, but also the cheapest way. Electricity rates depend on the time of day and also the utility provider, nonetheless charging an electric car at home is usually around one-third the cost of gas. This can translate to saving thousands of dollars on fuel expenses each year by driving electric. Savings can increase even further since EVs require much less maintenance than gas-powered vehicles. Say goodbye to oil changes!
How To Manage Ev Charging As A Uk Business
Its clear that electric vehicles are here to stay and will eventually become the norm as petrol and diesel cars cease to be made after 2030. As a result, its time to consider how EVs can be managed by your business through electric fuel cards.
To find out more about electrifying a commercial fleet, you can visit our Electric Vehicle Hub, which will be updated as more EV charging services become available. If youd like further advice on how Fuel Card Services could help you manage your electrical fleet, get in touch with our expert team today.
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Installing A Dedicated Ev Charger
The most convenient method for charging an electric car at home is to have a dedicated electric car charger. Not only can they recharge the majority of electric cars in a few hours, or overnight, you dont need any special cables.
Car chargers in the United States come with their own built in cables, meaning you dont need to buy anything else.
Home EV chargers typically range from 7 kW charging speeds all the way up to 22 kW. The one you choose will depend entirely on your car and your budget. A charger may offer faster recharge speeds, but it will end up costing more as a result. So if your cars recharge potential tops out at 7 kW, theres little point in paying extra for a 22 kW-capable charger.
Even if your car can handle those speeds, a 7 kW charger can recharge a large majority of electric cars overnight. So is it worth checking recharge times to figure out whether its worth the extra cost. Because in all likelihood it might not be.
The cost of chargers themselves vary, and can cost upwards of several hundred dollars plus whatever additional installation costs are involved. Usually the faster and more feature-packed the charger, the more youll have to pay.
Installing The Dual Charger: The Electrical
The Clipper Creek HCS-D40 Dual Charger arrived in the mail a week or so later. The box was smaller than I expected, and its content very neatly packed. The charging unit itself and pair of 25-foot length charging cables took up most of the box, while two connector holsters and a cable cradle filled out the rest of the space.
Im about as handy around the house as a distracted teenager, so for the electrical part of the installation process, I asked a person who always knows best: my dad. You should always use a licensed electrician for this sort of work, or at least someone well versed in the complexities of electrical systems. We have the Navy to thank for my dads experience here, and so I was confident we could safely and properly install the charging unit without a licensed electrician.
First things first, of course: we shut off electrical power to the garage. The rest is rather anti-climactic. After opening the 240-volt junction box, the job of installation came down merely to matching three service conductors from the charger to their corresponding partners in the junction box. Its not rocket science, but the job did require larger twist-on wire connectors than we were expecting. That resulted in Home Depot trip #1.
Dad had to take off, and with my sense of achievement more than fulfilled enough for the day, I left mounting the charging unit to the wall for another day. Which became a week. Which became three weeks.
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How To Use A Public Electric
Public chargers are slightly different to use from home chargers. Previously, some required a subscription account or an RFID card in order to access them, while others worked on a pay-as-you go basis. These days, all are obligated to offer pay-as-you-go access, although frequently those who do sign up for membership or subscription enjoy preferential pricing.
To find the nearest ones, www.zap-map.com has the most comprehensive map of public chargers in the UK. You can specify the type of connectors and speeds youre after in order to refine your search. Click on the individual station icons, and it will tell you what the payment rates are usually expressed in terms of pounds per kilowatt-hours and whether or not you need a subscription account.
The actual charging process is as easy as with a home charger. Drive to an available bay, either pay in advance or use a subscription card to unlock the charger, and then simply connect the cable to your cars socket.
Costs Of Charging An Ev At Home
Electricity rates are subject to many factors, including the region where you live, the time of year, and even the time of day when peak charges apply. For the most part, electricity usage and costs are at their lowest late at night. Thats good news for anyone considering an EV, according to Voelcker.
While shoppers worry about access to public charging stations, they need to know that as much as 90% of electric car charging is done overnight at home, Voelcker said. The cheapest way to charge your electric car is almost always at home, overnight. Some utilities have special low rates for the overnight period when their demand is lightest.
Where you live directly impacts your electric bill. People living in Maine pay nearly double for each kWh of energy used than in states like Wyoming or Nebraska.
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Electric Car Charger Installation Cost
The average cost for getting a home charging unit installed is around £800. But there are cheaper options.
If you go for a charger with less power, youll find a 3kW unit will probably cost you between £250 and £500. The more powerful 7kW chargers tend to be between £450 and £8002 and if youre ready to splash out, super speedy chargers can go up to £1,500 and more.
That might sound like a lot, but dont worry: there are government grants to help you cover the cost. More on that below.
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Arranging installation of a home charger is easy, and you can do it through us. Make the most out of your electric vehicle with a next generation smart charger now available at an electrifying price, exclusively for OVO members. Find out more about EV smart chargers here.
Charging Your Car At Home
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How To Install An Electric Car Charging Station
If you’ve been paying any attention to the buzz coming out of the car industry lately, that humming sound you hear is electrical. Automaker after automaker has either introduced new electric vehicles or has announced plans to do so. And many more are on the wa6y. Several car companies claim that half or more of the cars, trucks, and SUVs they sell in 2030 will be electric.
Closer to home, you probably know of several people who’ve taken the plunge and already purchased an EV. If they’re like typical EV owners, they sing the praises of their new rides. According to most, EVs are smooth, quiet, reliable, andperhaps best of allnever require their drivers to stop at a gas station to fill ‘er up.
All those attributes are definite benefits, but the last onenever stopping at a gas stationhas an implication of its own. The electricity to recharge the vehicle has to come from somewhere. Unless you plan to swap short stops at the gas station for lengthy sessions at the public charging station, you’re going to want to recharge your EV at home. And, typically, that means you’ll need a home EV charging station.
What Size Breaker Do I Need For A Level 2 Charging Station
A breaker has to protect 120% of its charge. Therefore, its size depends on the amperage of your charging station. For a 30A charging station, you need a 40A breaker, whereas a 40A charger requires a 50A breaker. If you don’t have enough space on your breaker panel, you can ask an electrician to reorganize your circuits or decrease the amperage of your charging station. We recommend that you contact an electrician for a safe installation.
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How To Charge An Electric Car At Home
To charge an electric car at home, you should have a home charging point installed where you park your electric car. You can use an EVSE supply cable for a 3 pin plug socket as an occasional back up.
- Drivers usually choose a dedicated home charging point because it’s faster and has built-in safety features.
- A home charger is a compact weatherproof unit that mounts to a wall with a connected charging cable or a socket for plugging in a portable charging cable.
- Dedicated EV chargers for your home are installed by qualified specialist installers like Pod Point.
Find out more about the benefits of a home charger here.
Tip: An electric car will have either a Type 1 or a Type 2 connector and you’ll need to choose a home charger that’s compatible with it. To make it easy, we automatically make sure you get the right chargepoint for your vehicle when you order.
