Not only are EVs the correct choice if you’re interested in helping out with making us all more environmentally friendly, they offer the convenience of being able to ‘fuel up’ at home. That’s something that’s never been available before – few people have their own, personal gas station!
One thing that puts people off from the installation of an EV home charger is the cost. To get an electrician out to install your charging station can be expensive. Happily, there are ways of installing an EV home charger yourself, and here we are going to go over the process.
The Main Issue With an EV Home Charger Installation is Your Home’s Electrical Supply
Before we describe how you can install an EV home charger, there is one hurdle that you have no choice but to get over. The amount of electricity we consume has risen substantially over the past twenty years or so. Most homes now have countless electrical devices from appliances and TVs to charging stations for mobile devices, gaming systems and computers. That’s a lot of power that is being guzzled.
Older homes often have around 100 amps of available service, which was more than adequate at the turn of the millennium. If your home has countless electrical devices already, installing an EV home charger could crank you over that 100 amp limit which will cause issues.
The answer then is to increase your home’s capacity, but that’s easier said than done. You may fall foul of local limits which are set for safety reasons so not to overburden your area’s electrical supply system. Also, increasing your home’s capacity is not cheap by any stretch of the imagination.
So, you will need first to check your home’s available supply and if it’s around 100 amps or lower, you’ll need to get advice from a qualified electrician.
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Installing a Level One Charger – Ideal if You Don’t Drive Over 40 Miles Every Day
If your daily EV mileage is under 50 miles per day, then you’ll be fine with a level one charger which is basically a trickle charger which delivers 12 amps, which is probably less than what your dryer uses. Just plug the charger into a convenient outlet once you get home from your last usage of your EV of the day, and leave it running overnight.
Eight hours of charging at level one will be enough to deliver you around 40 miles of charge. If you drive more than 40 miles per day than that charge will be enough to get you to a speedier charging point.
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Charger – for People Who Drive More Than 40 Miles Per Day
Level two chargers run twice as fast and supply twice the voltage as a level one charger. Some level two chargers can supply even more power, up to 80 amps, but these may place too much strain on your home’s electrical system. Most EVs don’t need that much power anyhow – a 40 amp circuit is more than enough for even the most powerful EV. An overnight charge will add over 100 miles to your current driving range.
The best thing you can do when installing a home EV charger is to get advice, and from a professional. Electricity can of course be deadly, so it’s not something to be dealt with in a casual, haphazard manner.
If you are in the market for an EV, make sure you check out what’s available at the Charlie Clark Nissan Showroom in Harlingen. We can always be contacted at (956) 423-6975 or online through our contact form.