What you need to know about installing an EV charger at home

Electric vehicle ownership is growing rapidly. 

Worldwide there are almost 50 brands comprising over 300 models. Many of these are available in the US, UK and Europe. Australians can currently choose from only 45 models. The percentage of new car sales that are battery electric vehicles is increasing… everywhere.

The Charging Challenge …

While the network of public chargers in the US is already 60,000 strong and growing, there is a challenge here (and wherever EVs are sold) to keep up with the public charging demands of the growing electric fleet.

Range anxiety used to be the big buzz word and perhaps the biggest EV objection, but it’s really “charge anxiety” that has taken over.

What You Can Do To Beat Charge Anxiety

The simplest and most convenient thing you can do is to install a home charger.

What is an EVSE?

EVSE stands for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment. A charger at home is not actually a charger. It is a conduit (made up of a cable and a special plug) that joins your electricity supply and your car.

EV Basics.

• Electric vehicles store electricity in large batteries. The battery delivers power to the motors which drive the vehicle's wheels and move the car. No emissions are produced to run your EV as you are not burning fuel in the process. EVs need recharging instead of refuelling.
• You will use EVSE (purpose-built equipment) to deliver electricity to the battery to charge it.
• The EVSE plugs into your car usually in a similar location to where you would expect to find an ICE car’s fuel tank cap.
• You will find EVSEs installed at home, your workplace, business premises, or public and commercial areas.
• EVSEs at home are always AC ‘chargers’. The power is converted from AC to DC via the car’s own onboard inverter. That converted DC power is then fed into the car’s battery. You can only charge your car fast with DC when you are hooked up to public and ultrafast chargers. These DC chargers directly feed DC current from the charger into the battery (and bypass the car’s onboard inverter).

There Are Different Types Of EV Charger Plugs

Most EVs come with a standard plug suitable for plugging into home wall sockets. In the US that is generally 15 Amps, in Australia 10 Amps, 15 – 30 Amps in Europe and Britain. If you want to speed up charging at home from Level 1 to Level 2 charge speeds, you may need to upgrade a socket to higher amperage. You’ll definitely need special charger plugs with multiple pins for Level 2 (AC chargers) and the ultrafast Level 3 (DC) public chargers.

The type of charger plug is generally dependent on your location. USA and Asia have the same plugs, as do Europe and Australia. Check with your EV manufacturer information and electrician. If your car is supplied with plugs and cables, you should be able to trust you have the right one!

Why You Should Have An EV Charger At Home

 Research shows that 80% of EV charging happens overnight, at home.

Here's why.

It’s Convenient

EV owners with home EV chargers get to minimize charging cost and lots of time because they can:

• Plug in their vehicles overnight and let them charge until morning.
• Plug in to charge during the day using solar energy generated at home.

In both instances, there is no need to wait in line at a public charger to fill up.

Less Expensive

Electric cars are already much cheaper to drive than any gas equivalent. When you charge at home with your own EV charger, the costs are even lower. It’s great when you connect the car to cheaper off-peak tariffs. And it’s even better—if you have a solar array on your roof and you’ve set up your system—to charge your car from excess solar. Of course, that’s not happening at night but there will be days (if you drive to work) where you can plug in at home during the daylight hours. The weekend and days off, perhaps!

The price per kWh at public chargers is always higher than domestic prices because a) It’s a business and b) it needs to factor in peak charge rates. If you can charge somewhere convenient and cheaply (aka at home), why wouldn’t you do it?

There’s No Such Thing As Free Charging.

Well, actually there is! You can often charge your car for free. More and more you can find businesses that host a free charger. These can be found near cafés, shopping centers or other service providers. They provide free power because while you’re plugged in, they anticipate you will spend at least some of that waiting time in their business and maybe spend some money. In effect, the power is free, and the cost to you is the time you spend within their business. Free chargers mostly provide slower AC (not ultrafast DC) charging.

If you charge at a level 3 DC fast-charging station, expect to pay anywhere between 25% to 40% more than Level 2 (AC) charging stations. You pay a premium for the convenience to charge in far less time… usually that’s getting to 80% charge in about 30 minutes.

Improved EV Battery Life

Like your smartphone's battery, your EV's battery can become less able to hold a charge as time passes. This is called battery degradation.

Charging to a full battery at home using AC helps reduce battery degradation. AC home-charging with a Level 1 or 2 EVSE, even up to 100% charge, is an effective way to maintain your battery’s health. It is far better than if you frequently top up your battery—especially from 80 – 100% charge—using high speed DC public chargers.

Many EV owners report that even after many months, many tens of thousands of miles and frequent (even daily) charging to 100% at home on AC chargers, that they are noticing little to no significant degradation.

Better Predictability

At home, you’ll know your charger is available when you are. No guesswork. And you don’t need to line up. Sometimes at public charging stations you find the chargers are busy, or the charger has been “ICED” (which is the term for a petrol car parked in the wrong spot) and is preventing you from charging.

The other reason it’s great to charge at home is that you can rely on the predictable price which is also predictably cheaper than commercial rates you pay at public chargers (whose prices can vary depending on demand and prevailing energy prices).

Improved Property Value

As EVs become even more commonplace, an at-home charger will be considered an asset which may even improve the value of your home, business premises, or apartment block. It’s not hard to see that EV chargers at home are fast becoming a necessity like high-speed internet.

The Different Types of EVSE

The most popular types…

EVSE based on Location

There are two types of location EV chargers based:

Destination Chargers are installed in malls, residential buildings, offices, and hotels. They are typically low-voltage AC chargers, rated at 240/415 volts.

On-the-Go Chargers are chargers installed on the road in places such as highways, gas stations, and popular travel locations. These places typically provide high-voltage DC Fast Chargers that can get the job done relatively quickly.

EVSE Based on Host

There are two types of EV chargers based on the nature of the host. They include:

Residential Charging Stations are meant for single family houses. They are a plug-and-play charger (and have no authentication and scan & pay features which might be used in apartment buildings).

Commercial Charging Stations have enhanced software and hardware features and are more advanced than those for single family homes. Built for commercial spaces such as shopping centers, public places, and offices, they have more capacity and are equipped with smart technology to manage usage, multiple users, payments, and more.

EVSE Based on Power Ratings

All EVSE chargers fall into one of three categories.

Level 1 chargers:  use a standard power supply of 120V AC where you plug your car into the wall socket. This is the slowest of all chargers and is a basic AC charger. In Europe, UK and Australia the basic supply is 220 – 240V AC. This type of charging is amusingly referred to as “granny charging”.

Level 2 chargers: also known as the residential charging level. It typically uses a dedicated AC electrical supply circuit of 240V and at least 40 Amps. It's the most common home EV charger installation. Your installer will know what specifications are required, but this reference may help. Supply requirements for Level 2 home chargers.

Level 3 chargers: also known as DC Fast or DC Ultra-fast Charging. This on-the-go charger uses 200 to 600-volt DC to charge an electric vehicle to full capacity in as short as 30 minutes.

How You Prepare Your Home For EVSE Installation

There are a few decisions to be made:

• Decide on a charger type
• Level 1 chargers are often bundled with most EVs. However, they're very slow, taking more than 24 hours to fill up your vehicle from zero to 100%. If you’re undecided, or if you’re able to charge at your workplace, then try using the power sockets at home. Graduate to a Level 2 charger if you need to reduce your charging time. Also, do take into account, that you are very rarely going to be charging from 0 – 100%.
• Level 2 chargers are the most popular home EV chargers, and take much less time to charge your car to 100% than Level 1. You should be able to reliably recharge your car overnight.
• Locate your switch board and assess your electricity capacity
• The switchboard in your home is responsible for distributing electricity throughout the building. It's often rated for a maximum current flow, measured in Amperes, denoted with an (A) or (Amp).
• Most newer, medium-sized homes have a minimum supply availability of approximately 100 amps to the switchboard. This rating is printed on the main circuit breaker. But many larger US homes will need closer to 200 amps.
• Once you've located the switch board, your electrician will be able to assess your available capacity, help you avoid risks, and install an EV charger that does not overload your electric distribution panel.
• Do you need a permit?
• It is possible that you or your electrician will need to obtain the necessary permits from the relevant authority to install your new car charger.
• Assess your garage space

Be strategic when locating the final position of your EV charger. You need to easily access the charging port. Also see if you can futureproof the installation and envisage the best location should you ever buy a second EV (so you can use the one charger).

How to position your charger:

• It should ideally be within 6 to 16 feet (or 2 to 5 meters) of the vehicle's charging port. Most cables are 16 – 25 feet or 5 to 7 meters long.
• The EV charger and isolator should be within close proximity (0.5 to 1 meter) of each other.
• Install with the right clearance to the floor. The preferred height is between 3 – 4.5 ft (1 – 1.4 meters). The charger should be at least 2.5 feet (0.8 meters) above the floor.
• Chargers should be within range of your local home Wi-Fi network or can access cellular communications. Requirements vary across models.
• Hire an experienced technician
• Installing a charger (as it is with solar systems) is very specific work that is quite specialized. Use a professional installer. You may need additional circuits.