What to know about installing an EV charger at home
But now there’s a more fundamental issue you need to grapple with: What will it take and how much will it cost to set up your home for an electric vehicle?
Do I need to buy a charger before getting an electric vehicle?
Actually probably not. Almost all electric vehicles are equipped with a so-called Level 1 charger. These chargers plug directly into a standard wall outlet. But while they require minimal effort and money, they also slowly charge a car’s battery. You might be able to add dozens of miles of range on an overnight charge, but it takes more than a day to fully charge a dead battery. You also need to make sure your home’s electrical system can handle the extra stress of charging a car in addition to washing or using a microwave oven (more on that below).
When you hear about installing an EV charger at home, most of these conversations revolve around Tier 2 chargers. Because they are more powerful, consumers can charge their battery overnight and add tens of miles of range by charging the car Plug into the outlet for an hour. Level 2 chargers require a different type of plug (think the outlet your washer and dryer use), and you’ll need to call an electrician to set one up.
“Whether or not you’re dying to go Level 2 has a lot to do with how far you drive each day,” says Simon Ouellette, CEO of Mogile Technologies, a Montreal-based EV research company. Another consideration is whether you have other options for charging your vehicle. “If there is a crowd [public] Chargers near your office or on the street where you live…then the urgency isn’t as great as when you really need to be where you are to charge your car.” (According to the U.S. Department of Energy, nearly 4 of 5 public chargers level 2.)
Level 3 chargers are the fastest of all, but because they require so much power it’s rare to see one installed in a private home.
How do I know if my home can accommodate an electric vehicle?
The bad news first: If you rely on street parking, chances are your home can’t accommodate an electric vehicle. As long as you have a driveway, garage, or other place to park your car, you can install an EV charger. “However, some installations are more complicated than others,” says Caradoc Ehrenhalt, founder and CEO of EV Safe Charge, a Los Angeles-based electric vehicle charging solutions company.
In general, it’s much easier and cheaper if you can park the car near an existing power source. Nowadays you can buy chargers that come with about 25 feet of cord. So as long as you can park that distance you should be in good shape.
But some homeowners are not so lucky. Ehrenhalt gives the example of a detached garage that has no electricity and is far from the house. To install an EV charger in this situation, you would need to connect the garage to the property’s electrical panel. This could include digging and laying the cable underground and even cutting through the driveway surface prior to backfilling and recovery. In extreme cases, the entire process can take several days.
If your electrical panel is in the basement, your ceiling is another factor, says Ouellette. You may need to drill holes to route the wiring.
The other potentially costly dilemma for prospective EV owners is whether your home’s electrical system is equipped to handle the added stress of charging a car. A licensed electrician can help you answer this question. Harvey Faulkner, master electrician and owner of Focus Trade Services in the DC area, says a key clue that you need an upgrade is when you look at your electrical panel and there’s no room for extra breakers.
How much does it cost to have an EV charger installed?
Installation costs vary greatly depending on where you live and how complicated the job is.
“If you had a switchboard literally right next to where you want to park your car and you plug in a charger that’s only a few feet away, this type of installation by a licensed electrician, including permit, could generally be done at $500 starting. ‘ says Ehrenhalt. But most installations, he says, end up costing between $1,500 and $3,000.
This total will increase significantly if your electrical panel or underlying electrical service (the amount of electricity your home can receive from public utilities) needs to be upgraded.
An electric vehicle charging station “is basically just a dedicated power line,” explains Michael Anthony Harris, an electrician at Harris Electric Company in Washington. “And to operate a leased line, your panel must be able to support it.”
If you need a new panel, you need to expect an extra $2,000-$4,000 in addition to the cost of installing the EV charger. If you need a full electrical upgrade, Harris says you’ll need to pay an additional $5,000 to $8,000.
Then of course there are the costs for the charger itself. With the exception of Tesla’s Supercharger (which is only compatible with Tesla’s), all Level 1 and Level 2 chargers available in North America have a standard plug that will work with any electric car. From there, the options differ by size, charging speed, cable length, and whether they connect to WiFi, among other things. Some have hoods or covers to protect them from snow, rain, and ice. They can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. A popular model, the Juice Box 40, costs around $700, and another highly recommended charger, the ChargePoint Home Flex, costs $749. You should speak to an electrician about which one is best for you.
And don’t forget your monthly electricity bill, which is sure to increase. However, once the upfront costs of buying the car and installing the charger are behind you, the fuel savings quickly add up. Also, according to the US Department of Energy, electric vehicles have lower maintenance costs than gas-powered ones because their batteries and motors require less attention and you don’t have to worry about changing the oil.
Can I install an EV charger if I live in a condo?
If your building doesn’t already have an EV charging station, this is where it can get tricky. “There are so many variables that come into play,” Ouellette says, including how people pay for electricity in the building and the rules that govern common spaces. “It’s not just a variable of what the physical reality of your condo and all of that is. But it’s also about who sits on the board and are they problem solvers?”
Even if everyone can agree, you still need to determine how much electricity the building can handle. For example, if the building can handle two EV chargers in addition to powering the elevators and lights, how are those chargers shared? If not, would the building want to pay for the panel or service upgrade? Ouellette notes that it usually returns to the question of the building’s statutes and rules, and “that could be a long loop”.