It is possible to charge your electric car at home as often as you need to, although most vehicle owners will treat charging their car in the same way they do their phone. This involves charging your electric vehicle fully overnight and topping up during the day if necessary. While it may not be necessary to charge your vehicle at home every day, many drivers will plug in each time they leave the car for a period of time, as this allows for more flexibility.
How to charge
at home?
HOME CHARGING
How to charge an electric car at home?
It’s no surprise that home charging is the most common way to charge an electric vehicle, with around 80% of all car charging happening on driveways and in garages across Europe. This is probably because charging your electric vehicle from home is noticeably cheaper and more convenient than other methods of charging. But just how easy is it to charge your electric car from the comfort of your home, and what do you need to do beforehand?
When it comes to home charging, there are two options: charging from a 3-pin plug socket or installing an EV home charger. It is also worth bearing in mind that home charging from sockets can be dangerous – you shouldn’t use standard extension cables to reach outside your home to charge your vehicle. If you do choose to charge through a 3-pin socket, you’ll need an EVSE supply cable. Frequent charging from standard plugs can cause overheating, so it’s always recommended that you consult an electrician before electric car charging at home.
Due to this reduction in power from standard sockets, most EV owners will choose to install a faster home car charging point, also known as an EV home charger.
These typically supply around 7kW in power, double that of a standard 3-pin plug and the same power outage as some public charging points. However, higher power home charging units are available which provide 22kW of power for even faster charging.
Installing an EV home charger
A home car charging point, also known as an EV 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.
The installation process involves mounting the charging unit to an external wall or within a garage, near to where you usually park your vehicle, and then connecting this safely to the mains supply. Installation should take around three hours to complete, depending on the desired location of the charge point and the complexity of the installation. For this reason, home car charging points must be installed by qualified specialists. This can be booked through various companies online, over the phone or even through car dealerships when you buy your EV.