Are you planning to own an electric vehicle to save money? Is the charging of the electric vehicle holding you back from purchasing one?
Often, people who already have or are planning to purchase electric vehicles face issues regarding the charging of the vehicle. Although an EV cable helps in charging the battery of your electric vehicle at home, what if there is a more efficient, quicker, safe, and reliable way to charge your electric vehicles? So, the installation of electric vehicle home charging stations is a reliable solution to different electric vehicle charging problems.
Why the installation of electric chargers at home is a great idea?
Electric cars come with a battery that you can either charge from numerous charging stations in the UK or charge it at home by plugging the charger into a 120 V plug. Installing home electric vehicle chargers eliminate the need to look out for public chargers, pay as you go chargers, or business chargers. Factually, most of the owners of electric cars in the UK prefer installing home electric vehicle chargers for convenience and reliability.
Additionally, the cost of electric chargers is another reason why home electric vehicle charging stations is the right solution. Although the overall cost of an EV charger and installation varies but is a one-time cost that can solve numerous charging problems that you face daily.
Moreover, installing quality home charging stations that are specifically for your electric car and is installed by a professional is a safer solution.
How much does an electric home charger cost?
An electric vehicle charger can range from a minimum of £300 and go up to a maximum of £4500. Typically, the cost of a home electric charger is around £800. However, the rate varies with your home location, the type of station you want to install the electric charger, and the place where you wish to install your electric vehicle charging station.
However, it is essential to purchasing a charging station that has undergone testing. So, make use there is an ETL or UL mark on the electric charger you are buying to ensure that the charger has been through proper testing and is safe to use.
Types of home chargers for electric vehicles:
There are three different types of electric car charging stations that you can install in your home, namely level 1, level 2, and level 3 car charging stations.
Level 1:
Level 1 chargers are those that come with electric vehicles and cost from £300 to £600. Such electric charging stations are portable. Also, you can charge your vehicle by simply plugging the Level 1 charger into a 120 V outlet. Usually, the charger takes twenty-four hours to charge the battery from empty to full—most of the people that travel short distances and less frequently use such types of chargers.
Level 2:
Level two car charging stations can charge your vehicle with a power supply of 240 volts. Most people prefer buying such chargers to charge their vehicles quickly, typically within a few hours from home. The costs of level 2 chargers start from £500 and go up to £1200, depending upon the features of the chargers. The most common features of level 2 chargers include load sharing, wifi, energy-saving, and much more.
Level 3:
Level 3 is charging stations specifically for commercial usage. The vehicles are charged within an hour using these electric vehicle chargers. The price range of level 3 charging stations varies from £12000 to £35000.
Installation costs of home chargers for electric chargers.
The installation costs are a sum of electric home charger cost and installation costs that is between £420 and £800 on average. The installation costs, including labor charges and part costs of level 1 charger's can vary from £770 to £1320, and of level 2 charger's will be £925 to £550.
Surprisingly, electric vehicle owners can get up to £350 off while purchasing and installing an electric charging station in the home. Hence, electric car charger home installation can cost around £450 after claiming the UK government's OLEV grant. Anyone can get the grant by answering some questions and submitting a few documents while installing an electric charger at home.
Installation of home chargers for electric vehicles?
The installation of home chargers for electric vehicles is the task of professional labor. You can hire a professional from the company you purchase your electric vehicle or book one online.
Firstly, you have to decide the location of the charging point, preferably nearest to your electric vehicle’s parking. The installation process includes the mounting of the charging point and finally connecting it to the main electricity supply. Make use to check out that the cord is of proper length and can easily connect from the charging port to your electric car’s input.
What range an electric vehicle gives per hour of charging?
The range of the electric car you get per hour depends upon the efficiency of your vehicle.
If you are charging your electric car at 3.7 kW per hour, then your car will cover around fifteen miles.
If you are charging your electric car at 7 kW per hour, then your car will cover thirty miles approximately.
If you are charging your electric car at 22 kW per hour, your car will cover ninety miles of range.
If you are charging your electric car at 43-50 kW, then your car will cover around ninety miles of range within thirty minutes only.
If you are charging your electric car at 150 kW, then your car will cover around two hundred miles of range within thirty minutes only.
How long does an electric car battery take to charge fully?
The time taken to charge an electric car battery depends on the car and the battery type. However, other factors that influence the charging speed are battery size, empty or full battery, the maximum charging rate of the car, and charging point, along with a few environmental factors.
Usually, an EV battery gets completely charged within a minimum of less than an hour to a maximum of one day.
How much power do electric vehicle chargers consume?
An electric car charger uses power that is measured in kilowatts. The batteries of electric vehicles have a capacity ranging from 17 kWh to more than 100 kWh.
If you want to find out the amount of power an electric charger consumes to charge an empty battery to full, then divide the capacity of the battery of the electric car by the speed of charging of the vehicle.
Now the cost of charging the cars will differ from vehicle to vehicle. You only have to multiply the capacity of your vehicle's battery with the amount you pay for electricity. Currently, the average electricity rate to fully charge an electric vehicle of 60kWh is from £8.30 to £9.40 in the United Kingdom. In simple words, the electricity bill after owning an electric vehicle will be the same as running an electric heater at your home.
Why charging electric vehicles using the regular socket is not enough?
Well, the regular three-pin plug, along with the cable that comes with most of the electric vehicles, can charge the EVs. One main issue of the regular sockets is that they take a lot of time to fully charge the battery of an electric vehicle at a 2.3 kW rate.
You can keep level 1 or level 2 charging as the prime way to charge your electric car, whereas we recommend using the three-pin plug regular socket as a backup only.
Benefits of owning a home electric vehicle charging station
Owning an electric vehicle and having a charging point at home is economical, safe, faster, and time-saving. The rate of electricity varies throughout the day. Therefore, you can save your money by charging your electric car when the rate of electricity is least. Additionally, you do not have to pay a handsome amount at commercial charging stations in the UK. You can charge your vehicle at home after spending some amount in purchasing and setting up the EV chargers for the first time. Home charging stations enable you to charge your vehicle at any time of the day as per your convenience.