Home Charge Point Installation

Charging at Home

Already an electric vehicle owner? Looking at becoming one? An important part of the process of owning a EV is home charge point installation. To help you understand how to have one installed and which to buy as well, as the costs involved, we have broken it down into sections for you.

Can I charge my car at home?

Basically, yes! The best option would be to have a wall box installed; this avoids you having to spend 30 hours charging your car using a basic plug.

More and more people are investing in electric cars, and depending on where you live, a home charge point could even increase the value of your home.

Do all electric cars use the same plug?

There are a variety of different connectors available to use when charging an electric vehicle. Each connector differs by vehicle and power output of the charge point. EVs either have Type 1 or Type 2 connectors for slow/fast charging and CHAdeMO or CCS for DC rapid charging. However, Tesla Model X and Model S owners have an exception as they use Type 2 connectors for DC rapids.

In most cases EVs use a Type 2 connector, due to EU legislation from 2014. However, there are older models produced before then with Type 1 connector, such as the Mitsubishi PHEV.

Which power output charger should I buy?

For a typical UK home, the main power output is up to 7.4kW. If you are looking at saving some money on your charger, a lower power rate (such as 3.6kW) is available and cheaper to purchase – though it will increase your charging time.

The fastest charger available is up to 22kW, but very few models are cable to receive a 22kW charge from an AC source such as a domestic wall charger. If your car is capable of receiving a rapid charge of 100kW, that is a DC charging rate, as opposed to an AC charging rate.