If you can charge your electric vehicle (or the plug-in hybrid) at your home, you’ll gain the benefits in having the most efficient and cost-effective method to charge your vehicle.
The ability to charge an electric vehicle at home is much less expensive than filling up the traditional diesel or petrol car, according to our estimations. It’s definitely more convenient and most likely to be less costly (unless you’re able to always use charging points that are free) and is more convenient than charging at public outlets.
Read on to discover everything you must be aware of charging your electric vehicle at home, including the type of charger you’ll need and how you can accelerate charging, and what it will cost to set up the charger.
Are you able to charge an electric car from your house?
Parking off-road is required such as garages or driveways and you’ll need to in a position to power it. It is also recommended to have an electrical wallbox if you’re planning to spend 30 hours charging your electric car using an ordinary three-pin plug.
As increasing numbers of people opt for electric vehicles as we approach 2030, which will see a prohibition on diesel and petrol automobiles, and also based on your location off-road charging can boost the value of your house.
You can plug an electric car to the regular outlet?
It’s possible however, but you shouldn’t need to. A typical 2.4kW three-pin wall outlet will result in extremely long charging times . It could take more than 35 hours, depending on the vehicle. This is a whole week’s worth of time to recharge your batteries.
It’s time to reduce those time to charge by installing an outlet for your wall.
It is also important to not run wires across the road as seen in the photo below. While you can purchase the covers for your wires, they poses a risk of a trip along with some municipal authorities who might consider a complaint.
Install a wallbox power source
Wall charging for electric vehicles (also known as wallboxes) come in various shapes and sizes and with different power. They drastically reduce the charging time when compared to the standard three-pin plug.
For you to find the perfect wall charger for your needs will require you to make a few options:
Untethered or tethered
Plugs of the type you want to use
Power rate
Intelligent or not
Tethering or untethered?
Untethered: There is no charging lead. It’s more trouble every time you need to connect, but allows you to switch the lead, for example, switching from type 1 and Type 2 (see below).
The charging device is equipped with a power lead that’s connected to it. It’s convenient since you just need to pull it up and plug it in, instead of removing the charging lead of your car from the car’s boot.
Click here for information on the best EV charger UK.
Do all electric cars have identical plugs?
Two different types of connectors that can charge your electric vehicle at home.
It is likely to be the Connector Type 2. The majority of cars have this kind of plug because it was required by the EU to ensure that plug-in vehicles in 2014 must use an type 2 plug.
There are some vehicles with the older, different-shaped Type 1 socket, such as the Mitsubishi PHEV. However, these are very rare. The Type 1-to-Type 2-converter is readily available.
What type of wall charger for power should I purchase?
It is the most important aspect. There isn’t a single power choice. The most common choice is between 4.7kW to 7.4kW for the typical UK home.
To reduce the cost of charging it is possible to opt for a lower power level (such like 3.6kW). Although it may require longer time to recharge your vehicle.
There is a possibility of having an even faster charger with a maximum of 22 kW, however only a few vehicles can be charged at 22kW by an AC source, such as a home wall charger.
Even if the car you own can receive the speedy charge of more than 100kW this is the specific DC charge rate in contrast to the vehicle’s AC charger.
Are you able to charge faster?
If your vehicle can get an AC charge of between 11 and 22kW, it’s possible to boost the charging time. The only issue is that you require the three-phase connection which will not possess.
The electricity you use is provided by either a single phase or three-phase power supply. The distinction between a single phase supply and three-phase power supply is that:
A single-phase network in essence, is a single live wire
A three-phase network is comprised of three wires that are live. You can connect to all three wires for more power and speed.
The positive side is that the majority of UK is covered by a three-phase system.
The problem is that the majority of UK houses are connected to just one of those three wires. In reality, the majority of houses have only one phase connection even though it is an all-phase network.
What can you do to determine if you have an electric three-phase connection
It’s likely that you aren’t. However, as per UK Power Networks (the organisation which manages our electricity networks) The best method to test your connection is by looking at the fuse box.
A 100 amp fuse indicates you are connected to a single phase
Three such fuses is an electrical connection with three phases.
Because the three-phase connection is prevalent throughout the UK It opens the possibility of changing your single-phase connection to an all-phase connection.
If you’re looking for a greater amount of power determine whether it’s possible to upgrade by talking to your energy provider.
Do I require a smart charger?
Smart chargers are charging stations that are accessible via the internet and usually operate using an app that is installed for your smartphone. They are able to keep track of the charging in your car and possibly choose the timing when your car charges.
This can be advantageous if you’re on the time-of-use rate like Economy 7, where electricity costs are less expensive at evening. Therefore, you can set the charging station to recharge your vehicle at times when electricity is cheaper.
But this is compensated by the fact that smart chargers are more expensive than normal chargers.
What is the cost to install an electric car charger?
It is typically priced between PS450 or PS1,200 to purchase and set up an indoor wallbox.
The cost difference is due in large part to the energy it is able to supply. The cheapest chargers is 3.6kW chargers, while 22kW chargers are the least expensive. 22kW chargers will probably exceed the majority of users’ needs (and the power supply in your home) however, in the event that you have a three-phase connection it could be suitable for future-proofing.
Certain wallboxes offer the possibility of a longer cable, and this can add the cost.