The choice of the best home charging station for you is very important for the convenience and use of your electric vehicle. If you have a suitable home charging station, you can benefit from short charging times, low costs, and an easy and natural electric vehicle experience. In this guide, we will consider the following issues: how to choose the best home charging station tapering off key features, installation tips, and the cost.
The Best Home Charging Station for Your Electric Vehicle: Why You Need It
Equipping your car with the best home charging station while using the public alternative or only the standard wall outlet is not a wise approach. The home charging station of Level 2 which can be powered by your household 240-volt circuit charges your electric vehicle much faster than the L1 and 120-volt outlets that go with it. The charging station of Level 2 is the one you can count on that your EV can be fully charged overnight ready for your daily trip. Besides that, the home charging stations have additional features like timings and remote control of the charging sessions conducted via the app which makes EV users’ lives more convenient. Go to the U.S. Department of Energy website to know more about the benefits of home charging stations.
Best Home Charging Station for Electric Vehicles: Key Features
When shopping for a home charging station, you should think carefully about its key specifications to determine your best choice. Here are some of the most significant features to be considered:
1) Charging Speed of Home EV Chargers
Home charging speed can be one of the most influential factors in attempts to acquire a home charging station for an EV. Usually, level 2 chargers are capable of giving you 16 to 50 amps of power, which roughly translates into an addition of 12 to 37 miles of range per hour of charging, related to the efficiency of your current EV. If you are a frequent user of your car or you have to drive a long commute every day, choosing a charger with a higher number of amperes is helpful to reduce the time the vehicle takes to charge, thus saving you time.
2) Smart Features in the Best EV Home Charging Stations
Intelligent features that at the same time enhance functionality are part of the specification of many of the most excellent home charge stations for electric cars. These functions may be Wi-Fi and controlling the charger through your smartphone, which usually is a mobile application for operating. In addition to having a few functions like scheduling ones where you tell the EV to charge at off-peak hours so that your electricity bill will not be a worry of yours any longer, some chargers also have features for scheduling via app usage. Another way to count the statistics is to utilize the ones where you can take some kind of tracking of your energy consumption and then try to make certain changes in the charging style to minimize your bill.
3) Compatibility with Your Electric Vehicle
The electric charging station at home should be in sync with the specific vehicle that you have. The most widely used EV chargers, the J1772 connectors, are also the ones that are compatible with all of the electric cars in North America that are not Teslas. However, the owners of Tesla cars can charge their vehicles using the J1772 adapter. One helpful step in this whole process is to determine whether the charger in question is compatible with your home’s electrical system and if it requires any particular upgrades or additional installations that may need to happen.
To acquire more information concerning Tesla charging capability visit the Tesla site.
4) Installation Requirements for Home EV Chargers
When you’re ready to buy an electric charging station for your home, it’s vital to evaluate the installation requirements. Please be informed that the usage of a licensed electrician is necessary to hardwire level 2 chargers into the 240-volt outlet. Furthermore, some homes may need an electrical panel upgrade in order to accommodate the higher power demand. Hence, it is crucial to factor in these costs when deciding on the best home charging station for your electric vehicle.
Cost Considerations for Home Charging Stations
The home charging station prices may depend a lot on features, brand, and installation requirements. Level 2 home charging stations typically reported to cost between $400 to $700 a piece, but premium models offering advanced features may cost over $1,000. Also installation costs may add on several hundred to a few thousands of dollars to the complete sum especially if electrical upgrades are required by your house. Additionally, Consumer Reports provides detailed information on the costs and factors involved in the installation of a home EV charger.
1) Upfront Costs of EV Home Chargers
In determining the cost of a home charging station, you have to take both the purchase’s upfront cost and the installation costs into account. Also, although it is easy to be lured by the price of a cheap model, a smartly fitted charger of higher quality can help in the long run by having lower electric costs and higher convenience.
2) Rebates and Incentives for EV Charging Stations
A host of states and utility companies provide rebates and incentives that significantly cut the cost of a home charging station. When one assesses how rebates can minimize the outflow of the purse, the best home charging station for the electric vehicle just becomes more and more affordable. It is advisable to have a thorough investigation of the local rebates to take the complete advantage of the available savings.
Installation Tips for Your Home Charging Station
Home charging stations demand the right installation in order to run correctly and safely. In order to set it up properly, here are a few essential tips for you that will make the works easier:
1) Hire a Licensed Electrician for EV Charger Installation
The proper installation of a Level 2 charger usually involves the laws of a licensed Electrician. To ensure the safety of the installation and the proper functioning of the new charger, an Electrician will conduct a check of your home steam and confirm it is capable of handling the additional load. Where expertise is required, upgrading the panel of an electrical system should be left to a professional in order to eliminate hazards.
2) Choose the Right Location for Your Home Charging Station
The location of the home charging station must be well chosen for convenience and safety. The majority of people have their chargers installed in the garage or driveway where their electric vehicle is parked overnight. The correct location of the charger will also allow your vehicle to have a snug fit with the charging cable. The wiring distance from your electrical panel onto the charger must be taken into account since it can adversely affect the installation costs. Also, consider the distance between the electrical panel and the charger as it may affect the installation charges.
3) Consider Future-Proofing Your EV Home Charger
The world of electric vehicles is in a state of dynamic evolution, hence it is wise for home charging stations to be set up in an adaptable way. This may be accomplished by either putting in a load limiter that is more powerful than the one currently in use or restructuring the electrical system so that more charging stations could be plugged in when more EVs are expected to be purchased in the future.
Conclusion
The choice of the ideal charging point for electric vehicles is a serious one that has the power to increase the happiness of the owner of an electric vehicle. By carefully studying parameters like the speed of charging, smart functions, compatibility with systems, and requirements for installation, you can find the charger that fulfills your needs, and your specifications and also fits the price category you want. It does not matter if you are either a beginner in the electric vehicle industry or an experienced inveterate EV driver, for years to come, the investment in the charging station of high quality will bring you not only the convenience you want, but also the necessary savings for your pocket, and on top of that, adequate power supply will be guaranteed.
For further information on regular checks and care of electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging, please refer to our guide on the longevity of electric car batteries.