If you can charge your electric vehicle (or Plug-in Hybrid) at home, you’ll gain the benefits in having the most efficient and cost-effective method to charge your vehicle.
Charging your electric car 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) instead of using charging stations that are public.
Read on to discover everything you should be aware of when charging your electric vehicle at home, such as what kind of charger you require and the best way to accelerate charging and what it will cost to set up the best EV charger UK.
Can you charge your electric car from your home?
Parking off-road is required like 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 plan on spending 30 hours charging your electric vehicle using the standard three-pin plug.
As increasing numbers of people opt for electric vehicles and the 2030 prohibition on diesel and petrol automobiles, and also based on the location you live in off-road charging can enhance the value of your house.
Can you plug in an electric car to an outlet that is regular?
You could however, but you shouldn’t need to. A standard 2.4kW three-pin wall socket could be able to provide extremely long charging times . It could take up to 35 hours, based on the vehicle. It’s a whole workweek’s worth of time just to recharge your batteries.
It’s time to reduce those time to charge by installing an outlet for your wall.
You should also be careful not to run wires across the street , as shown in the image below. While you can purchase cover for wires, this presents a danger to pedestrians as well as some authorities might be concerned.
Find a wallbox charger
Wall charging for electric vehicles (also known as wallboxes) come in various designs and 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 then you’ll need to make a few choices:
Untethered or tethered
Plug type
Power rate
Not so smart or
Is it a tethered or untethered charger?
Untethered: No charging lead. This means you have to go through the hassle each time you’re looking to connect, but allows you to switch the lead, for example, changing from the Type 1 and Type 2 (see below).
The charging device is equipped with a power lead that’s which is connected to it. It’s convenient because that you simply pull it up and plug it in, instead of removing the lead that charges your car from the car’s boot.
Do all electric cars have identical plugs?
There are two kinds of connectors that can charge the electric car at home.
It is likely to be an Connector Type 2. The majority of cars have this kind of plug since it was required by the EU for all plug-in vehicles in 2014 must use an connector of Type 2.
There are some vehicles that use the older, more unusually 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 do I need to buy?
It is the most important part. There isn’t a single power source. You can choose from up to 7.4kW for an average 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.
It is possible to get an even more powerful 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 your vehicle can receive an instant charge of more than 100kW it’s the DC charge rate not the vehicle’s AC charger.
Do you have the ability to accelerate charging?
If your vehicle can get an AC charge of either 11 or 22 kW, you can try to boost the charging time. The only drawback is that you require an electrical connection with three phases which will not possess.
Your power is supplied 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 basically, it has one live wire
A three-phase system has three wires live. You can connect to the three wires to get an improved power supply.
The positive side is that the majority of UK is covered by a three-phase system.
The downside is that the majority of UK homes 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
Most likely, you will not. However, According to UK Power Networks (the organisation which manages our electricity networks) the best method to test your connection is by looking at the fuse box.
One 100 amp fuse signifies that you have a single-phase connection
Three such fuses is the existence of a three-phase connection.
Since the three-phase network is widely used throughout the UK It does open the possibility of upgrading your single-phase connection into an all-phase connection.
If you’re in the market for a higher energy consumption check the possibility of upgrading by talking to your energy provider.
Do I need a Smart charger?
Smart chargers are charging points that are accessible from a distance and are usually operated using an app that is installed for your smartphone. They allow you to track the charging status of your car and even choose the time the time when your car is charging.
This can be beneficial if you are on the time-of-use rate like Economy 7, where the price of electricity is lower 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 and 1,200 to purchase and set up the wallbox.
The cost difference is mostly due to the energy it is able to supply. The cheapest is 3.6kW chargers. 22kW chargers are among the most expensive. 22kW chargers will probably exceed the majority of people’s requirements (and electricity supply at home) however, should you have a three-phase connection it may be a good idea for future-proofing.
Some wallboxes have the option of a larger cable, and this can add the cost.