Do you need a Home charging point for my EV?
Jérôme Faissat 22nd May 2018 2 Min Read
The short answer is “Yes”. A home charging station for your electric car is just too convenient. it’s also safer, faster and cost-effective on the medium to long term.
CONVENIENCE
The number one reason why you should have your home charging station. It’s in the name: it’s at home! It’s your own charging station, you can use it whenever you want and you can share it with your family and friends. The trend for electric car owner is “top-up” charging: whatever is your battery level, you come home and plugin. This way your car is always full and ready to go.
It’s also convenient because you have it ideally located where you park your car. So instead of searching and fumbling with your 3 pin cable and plug it into your socket than to your car, you just unwind and connect your charging station.
SPEED
It’s faster than your conventional socket. Your 3 pin UK socket will output 13 amp (actually closer to 10 amp) which is close to 3kw. A home charge point will output 7kw meaning it will charge twice as fast. The only caveat is that some cars are limited by the power they can take: Even if your charging station output 7kw your car may only take 3kw.
SAFETY
I am a father and safety is really important to me. As discussed in one of my previous articles, charging stations are a powerful device and deal with a huge amount of energy. Plugging your car into a standard socket will draw a lot of energy and this constantly. In an ideal world, you’d want the plug to have its own circuit and its own fuse. However, it’s not always the case, meaning the risks increase, Ranging from the fuse tripping to fire hazard. Providing you get yours installed professionally, you eliminate these risks when you have a home charging station.
COST AND PROPERTY VALUE
Charging at home is cheaper than charging on the street. If you have a preferential energy plan, such as economy 7, then you’ll potentially save more. What is more interesting is that a charging station could also enhance the value of your home. After all, it’s an asset, much like your solar panel or your latest boiler.
INTELLIGENCE
More charging stations are now delivered with a “brain”. They can communicate with your car but also with your home. If your home is intelligent then it can optimise the charging time and the charging rate, charge only when solar panels are active, etc… As we’re heading towards more intelligent homes, your charging station will play a key role in your CO2 footprint.
To find out more about having an Electric Car Charging Point Installed click here
Jérôme Faissat
Jérôme is the boss of Andersen’s day-to-day managerial and service delivery. With extensive experience of retail system development and property and financial services, Jerome has an eye for quality and control. When he’s not mapping the future, he loves to talk to customers, drink French wine or speak Mandarin. He even finds time to walk his two dogs in the evenings.
