Are you considering going electric? All you need to learn regarding charging an electric car is right here!
If you can charge your electric vehicle (or plug in hybrid) at home, you get the best of both worlds: the most simple and economical way to charge your vehicle. According to the numbers, charging your electric car at home is far less expensive than pumping up any typical petrol or diesel vehicle. It is unquestionably more practical and certainly less expensive. This is unless you can routinely access free charging stations.
Continue reading to learn everything you need to understand about charging an electric vehicle. This includes the type of charger required, how to ramp up charges, and the cost of electric car charger installations.
Can I charge my electric car at home?
You’ll require an off-road parking space, such as a driveway or shed, as well as access to electricity. You also need to have a wall box setup. Unless you intend on spending 30 hours slow-charging your electric vehicle using a conventional three-pin socket, off-road charging might boost the value of your property because more people invest in electric vehicles, with the looming 2030 ban on petrol and diesel vehicles, depending on where you reside.
Can I plug my electric vehicle into a regular power outlet?
You could, but you certainly wouldn’t want to. A typical 2.4kW three-pin power socket will result in extremely lengthy charging periods. Charging through a wall socket could take more than 35 hours, depending on your vehicle, and that’s a proper working week only to recharge your battery.
You’d want to reduce charging time by installing a home vehicle charger. You should also avoid laying a wire across the road. While wire wraps are available, they still present a tripping danger, which several municipal authorities will object to.
Go for a wall box charger instead.
Electric vehicle wall charging points (also recognised as wall boxes) come in a variety of shapes and sizes. These would also significantly shorten charging time when compared to a standard three-pin plug.
Should I purchase an Untethered or a Tethered charger?
Untethered Chargers
These have no charging cable attached. More effort every time you plugin, but they will permit you to switch the cable – for example, from Type 1 to Type 2, in case the need arises.
Tethered Chargers
The charging unit comes with a power cable connected. It’s handy since you can simply pull over and plugin instead of taking your car’s charging cable out from the trunk.
Can I use the same plug to charge all-electric cars?
There are two types of plugs for recharging an electric car at your residence. The most common kind of plug is a Type 2 connector. A majority of electric vehicles utilise this type of connector since the EU specified that all hybrid electric vehicles sold after 2014 were to have a Type 2 port.
Like the Mitsubishi PHEV, a few vehicles use the previous, differently designed Type 1 port. However, these are uncommon now. There are also Type 1 to Type 2 converters available.
What amount of power should I look for when buying a wall charger?
This is possibly the most essential part. There’s no one source of electricity. For a regular UK house, you have a range of up to 7.4kW. You might opt for a lower power rate to cut down costs on the charger (such as 3.6kW). However, charging your vehicle would take a bit longer. It’s also possible to get an even quicker charger, up to 22kW.
However, very few cars can get a 22kW charge from an AC power source such as a household wall charger. Even though your vehicle can get a quick charge of 100kW or greater, this is the exceptional DC charging rate, not the standard AC charging rate.
Can I increase the speed of the Charging Process?
It is possible to shorten the charging period if your vehicle can accept an AC charge of 11 or 22kW. The only issue is that you’ll need to have a three-phase connection, something your house probably doesn’t have.
Your power can deliver itself in either a single-phase or three-phase system. The distinction between a single-phase and a three-phase supply is simple: a single-phase connection has one live wire, whereas a three-phase connection has three live wires. For a speedier power supply, you may connect to all three.
The upside here is that a three-phase network serves the bulk of the UK. The downside is that most UK homes are only connected to one out of these three live wires. In reality, even though it is a three-phase network, most dwellings have just a single-phase connection.
How can I check if I have a three-phase connection in my residence?
You most likely will not. However, as per UK Power Networks (the body responsible for maintaining our electrical infrastructure), the best approach to checking your connection is to examine your fuse box. A 100-amp fuse indicates a single-phase connection and a three-phase connection between three of these fuses.
Because the three-phase system is so common in the UK, you might be able to upgrade from your single-phase connection to a three-phase connection. If you require a greater rate of electricity, check with your energy provider to see whether you can upgrade.
Do I need to consider buying a smart charger?
Smart chargers are charging stations that you can activate wirelessly and are often controlled by an app on your smartphone. They might enable you to track your vehicle’s charging and might even determine when it charges.
The latter would be especially advantageous if you have a time-of-use tariff, such as Economy 7, and the cost of power is lower at night. As a result, you might program your charger to power your electric vehicle during these less expensive hours. On the other hand, smart chargers are much more costly than normal ones.
What are the installation costs of an electric car charger?
A wall box normally costs around £450 to £1,200 to purchase and install. The cost difference is primarily due to the quantity of electricity it can deliver. 3.6kW chargers are the cheapest. The costliest ones are the 22kW models. 22kW chargers can satiate most people’s demands (provided they have that power supply at home).
However, if you possess a three-phase system, it may prove beneficial for future-proofing. Some wall boxes include the choice of a lengthier cord, which increases the price. We recommend 7kW chargers for most people, which cost roughly around £500 to £700 to purchase and install.
