You can charge an electric car while at your own home or office. Here’s a quick how-to, including how much it costs and how long it takes.
To charge your electric car at home you’ll need a dedicated charging point (only use a standard 3 pin plug with an EVSE cable as a last resort).
How To Charge An Electric Car At Home?
To charge your electric car at home you’ll need a charging point installed where you park your electric car. Only use a EVSE supply cable with a 3 pin plug socket as an occasional backup.
Electric car drivers tend to choose having a charging point outside their home because it’s a lot quicker and has built-in safety features
The home charger is very compact and weatherproof. The unit mounts to a wall with connecting charging cable or a socket for plugging portable charging cables.
These can be installed by qualified specialists like JVB.
How Much Does A Dedicated Home Charger Cost?
The UK government encourages drivers to use electric cars and offers a £350 OLEV grant for those who purchase and install a home charger. chargers start at £475 + VAT depending on the charging unit and the distance from your consumer unit.
Once it’s installed you only pay for the electricity that’s being used to charge.
How Long Does An Electric Car Take To Charge?
The charging speed of an electric car is measured in Kilowatts (KW).
Home charging points can normally charge your car between 3.7kW or 7kW this roughly equates to 15-30miles of range per hour of charge. When using a 3 pin plug it charges about at about 9 miles of range per hour maximum. It can be less
How To Get A Charging Point Installed?
Charging points need to be installed professionally. The installation process will require an exterior wall or garage near where you park for the charge point to be mounted. This will ensure a safe connection to the main electric supply.
Depending on individual requirements and the complexity of the installation, it could take up to 3hours.
At JVB we have the experience to install a car charger that suits your property.
Is It Okay To Charge Your Electric Car Often?
Yes, you can charge your electric car as often as needed. You can enjoy cheap night-time electricity rates and drive for as little as 2p per mile, if you charge overnight.
Charging over night also ensures your car is fully charged in the morning, charging will stop automatically once the battery is full. There is no need to unplug.
Managing Home Energy Supply
When charging an electric car at home it can put an additional load on your electrical supply. The load can damage your main fuse depending on the max charging rate of the charge point and vehicle.
You can use smart home chargers to automatically balance the power drawn by your charge point with the rest of your home. This can help make sure your total demand never exceeds the max available supply.
Managing On The Grid
Electric cars are becoming more desired, making the demand for power on the national grid more appealing. The peak time for electric cars to be charging will be after work at around 20:00. If this is left unmanaged it can cause an overload on local networks.
Smart home chargers can be used to react to and/or anticipate this and control the rate of charge across thousands of vehicles to smooth out these peaks.
Important questions we will ask prior to booking your installation
Have you already had the OLEV grant?
What electric vehicle do you have?
Have you got a space in your fuse board?
Which location would like your charging point to installed?
Is the gas and water bonded in your property?
If you do not know the answer to these questions we can provide a site visit to inspect your requirements and provide a more accurate plan for your charging point.
With electric cars becoming more popular, home charging points are being requested more and more. If you wish for more information on installing a charging point please get in touch here: 0800 368 9855 Or visit our website https://jvb-solutions.com/
