The main question that many new electric vehicle owners have is “How am I going to charge my vehicle at home?” Making the switch to an electric vehicle or planning to can be slightly overwhelming, but also very exciting.
In this blog post, we will go through a guideline/checklist you should be aware of for home EV charging. This blog will help you feel confident and prepared when you are thinking of making the move to an electric vehicle or having an EV home charger installed for your property.
Why a Home Charger Matters More Than You Think?
Most electric vehicle drivers soon come to realise that having to rely on public chargers is not very practical for their day-to-day life. Public chargers can be very useful for long trips or emergencies when you are trying to gain a quick charge. However, compared to an EV home charger, there is no better feeling than waking up to a fully charged vehicle, ready to use. By choosing to have an EV home charger installed, you gain:
- Faster charging compared to a standard 3-pin plug
- Safer charging as it is specifically designed for electric vehicles
- Lower running costs compared to public charging stations
- The convenience of charging whenever you want, with no worries
- More control over your energy usage, and you can keep track of the amount of electricity being used
Parking Situation
The first step that you need to consider is where your car will be parked when receiving the charge. This can determine the type of installation you will need, whether that be standard or bespoke. Most home EV charger installations require off-street parking like a driveway, a garage, a private parking space or a carport. If you do not have dedicated off-street parking, you will have to look at possible alternative solutions for the installation of your home EV charger. The distance of your parking spot to the fuse board is another factor that can affect the complexity of the installation. A charger installed at the end of a driveway may require additional cabling or groundwork to get the charger to reach your electric vehicle. Our charger is weather-resistant and can handle most exposure to poor weather conditions. However, by having the charger installed in a sheltered place, it can help protect the unit and make charging a lot more comfortable in the winter.
Understand Your Home’s Electrical Capacity
Most UK homes have a single-phase supply, which supports chargers up to 7.4kW of power. Which is why our 7kW smart home EV charger is perfect for an overnight charge, so your vehicle is ready to use the following morning. Your home’s main fuse needs to be assessed to ensure that it can handle the additional load of an EV home charger installation. If it is unable to handle the load, your Distribution Network Operator (DNO) will be contacted, and an upgrade will be needed for the installation of an EV home charger. During our process, we will notify your DNO of the installation for you.
Choosing The Right EV Home Charger
The “best” charger depends on your lifestyle, car, home, and your routine in your daily life. Our charger has all of the smart features available to you, making it stand out from simpler chargers on the market. These
smart features include:
- Smartphone app control, which allows you to be able to monitor the vehicle’s charge and how much energy you are using. You can also see how well the charger is performing and if there are any potential issues with the charger.
- Scheduled charging, which allows you to charge your vehicle during off-peak hours so you can save money on your energy bills.
- Solar integration is another feature that can be very effective. You can use the power drawn from solar panels to run electricity to your home EV charger.
Along with this comes Wi-Fi connection and potential signal issues. Smart chargers rely on a stable connection and Wi-Fi for app control and energy monitoring. If you live in an area where connectivity could be an issue, try and ensure that your home EV charger supports 4G and 5G connectivity if the Wi-Fi is not very stable.
Cable Length and Positioning
This is one of the most overlooked parts of the process when it comes to considering having an EV home charger installed for your property. When it comes to the position of your charger, there are a few questions to ask yourself:
- Where is the car’s charging port positioned on the car?
- Will you always park the same way?
- Do you wish for the cable to be hidden?
A professional installer will advise you on the best spot for the installation of your EV home charger in comparison to where your vehicle will be parked and where the charger will need to reach.
Conclusion
Overall, before you think about having an EV home charger installed, there are a few things that you need to consider. Checking your home’s electrical capacity is one of the most key points to take away from this blog, because if your DNO does need to make any upgrades, this may take time and delay the process of having your EV home charger installed. After reading through this blog, you should know what to consider when buying and having an EV home charger installed for your property.
If you are looking to buy an EV home charger, take into consideration all the things we have discussed in this blog and make the right choice.
If you wish to purchase an EV home charger, please look at our website, where you can find all the information you need about our 7kW smart home EV charger.
https://evhomechargeruk.co.uk/product/7kw-smart-home-ev-charger/
Go directly to our website and press buy now, order your charger directly, including free delivery and a site installation survey.
You will then send a comprehensive installation fixed-price quotation, and we will take care of the DNO requirements and Building Regulation sign-off compliant paperwork upon successful completion of the installation. Guarantees: 3 years EV Charger Only. 5 years EV Charger and us fitting.
