Charging Your Electric Vehicle at Home: A Comprehensive Guide
For electric vehicle (EV) owners with off-street parking, investing in a home charger provides significant convenience. In fact, most EV owners who can charge at home find they rarely need to use public charging stations. A home charger eliminates the need for daily charging and offers a ‘full tank’ every morning.
While you can charge an EV from a standard three-pin, 13-amp socket using a ‘granny charger’, these are considerably slower. Considering the increase in EV battery capacities, fully charging an EV overnight using this method might not be possible.
The preferred solution is a dedicated home charging point or wall box. Several options exist on the market from diverse suppliers, each offering various speeds, features, and designs.
Currently, the latest wall boxes have a charging speed of 7kW. With this, it will approximately take ten hours to achieve a complete charge for a car with a 70kWh battery. Typically, charging slows down as the battery nears full capacity, similar to mobile phones.
Getting the right tariff can significantly reduce your running costs. For example, covering 100 miles using your EV could cost less than £2, compared to around £13 in an average petrol car at present fuel prices.
Choosing the right home charger involves several considerations. Chargers can be purchased for under £400, plus installation costs. Then, it’s essential to decide between choosing a tethered charger (including its own cable) or an untethered charger requiring you to use the car’s cable. Though tethered chargers are easier to use, needing the cable every time you charge still has its benefits. (The new Fiat Grande Panda features a retractable cable in the car’s nose.)
There are a host of different charger brands to choose from. Some well-regarded brands include Hypervolt, Andersen, Ohme and PodPoint.
If purchasing your first EV, check for potential charger deals from the car manufacturer because some EVs include a free or heavily subsidized home charger. Speaking with your energy supplier is also worthwhile, particularly if you’re planning to switch to an EV tariff. Most energy suppliers have their own branded home chargers, often offered alongside promotional deals.
It’s important to note that some of the more attractive low-cost EV tariffs require a reliable connection between the wall box, the energy provider, and the car. Not every wall box is compatible with every tariff.
Connectivity is another key factor. To get the most from your EV and wall box, a stable internet connection is crucial. This might involve installing a signal booster to ensure the signal reaches the outside wall where the charger is mounted.
Connecting your wall box to the internet enables you to schedule charging during off-peak hours when energy costs are lowest. It also lets you remotely control the charging process and monitor your charging expenses.
Many EVs have dedicated apps offering timer settings for charging alongside other vehicle controls, such as pre-heating or cooling features.
Selecting the optimal location for your wall box is another critical decision. Consider your parking space and how easy it will be to route the cable to your car’s charging port. Aesthetics are also important, as wall boxes and their cabling will be visible on your home’s exterior.
Think about lighting too. Having good lighting outside where you plug in can be truly helpful when charging at night.
Though charging boxes can be placed in a garage if you park your car inside, they are designed to be watertight, so you do not have to worry about their exposure to the elements.
When installing a wall box, having a qualified electrician complete the job is highly recommended. A survey is necessary beforehand to ensure that your home’s electrical system can support an EV. Modern electrical systems should be compatible, but some older homes might require an upgrade to their existing infrastructure. An electrician can further advise on the wall box’s placement, cable routing, and any upgrades needed for your electrical distribution board or fuse box to accommodate the charging system’s isolation switch. Installations generally take between two and three hours.
Most people opt for a 7kW system at home, but installing 22kW chargers is possible, albeit with added costs and the requirement of a professional three-phase electrical supply.
Even if you don’t have off-street parking, you might still be able to install a home charger. If you can park outside and your local authority permits, you might be able to run a charging cable across the pavement, with appropriate protection, or even through it using innovative solutions like Kerbo Charge (which secured funding on Dragons’ Den).
Many EV owners are now also keen to optimize energy usage and reduce costs. This can involve utilizing solar power and a battery system to store energy generated during the day to charge the car at any time.
We’re also seeing some EVs with Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) capability, meaning the car can function as a battery to power your home. With the average home using about 8kWh of power daily — a small portion of most EV batteries — owning a V2G-compatible car and a compatible home system could be cost-effective. You could charge overnight on a cheap tariff, use your car during the day, and allow your home to utilize your car’s battery in the evenings.
The best practice, similar to purchasing an EV, is to future-proof your setup. You don’t want to replace your wall box every time you change cars, so confirm the charger has adequate power and connectivity and is compatible with your desired energy tariff. As always, thorough research and comparison shopping are crucial before any investment.
