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To get a home EV charger, or not get a home EV charger?

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23/03/2023

To get a home EV charger, or not get a home EV charger?

 

When deciding on whether to move to an Electric Vehicle (EV), part of that decision is on installing a home EV charger.

 

A home EV charger is a socket which an EV car can plug into. The socket is placed in a parking area, or garage, reached by the charging cable that comes with the car. 

 

You don’t absolutely have to install one, as you can charge an EV car by plugging into a regular electric socket. But the difference is charging speed.

 

Plugging into a regular socket is likely to take around 12 hours or more to get to 80% charge. 80% is recognised as the usual target charge unless you’re going on a long journey, in which case going to 90-100% can be effective.

 

With a dedicated EV charging point, your EV can charge to 80% in around 4 hours. Of course, this depends on where you start from, 10% or 40% etc., but the real difference is in charge speed.

 

So, one question is, are there situations where you might need to charge faster than 8-12 hours?

 

The other question is charge anxiety. Will you be comfortable in knowing it will take that long to charge?

 

If you use the car every day to do long journeys, it may well make sense to install an EV charger for peace of mind and practicality. But if your use is not that heavy then charging from a regular socket may well suffice.

 

Then there’s the cost.

 

As of writing in March 2023 there are Government grants available to install an EV charger for rental properties or flat / apartment owners. This grant is £350.

 

The cost for installing an EV charger ranges from £950 and more. 

 

You may have a fast charger near where you live that you could use. One challenge with public charging is the reliability of these chargers. They can stop working. They may also be busy. Having your own gives peace of mind.

 

Public chargers can be faster than a home charger. A fast charger can charge to 80% in 20-30 minutes. Maybe using a combination of public fast chargers and your own regular socket will suffice.

 

When we got our EV we decided to install a home charger because there are no public chargers close to where we live, so we couldn’t leave the car to charge and walk home. We decided that getting a home charger was part of the cost of getting an EV. And, it’s worked very well.

 

Mindset also plays its part. For us the decision on an EV was a one-way door. We did not expect, anticipate, or plan to reverse the decision, or ‘see how it goes’. We were going to make it work. Make those behavioural changes necessary on route plans, stopping places and speed of journey expectations. So getting a home charger was part of that commitment to change. 

 

It’s not an easy decision but whilst getting a home charger installed felt like part of the kit for us, I can understand why others would not.

 

As with many of the decisions about leasing a new car there in no right or wrong, just what's right for you and the OVL team is on hand to support your decision making.

 

Contact us today if you'd like to discuss your options

01491 61550

sales@ovl.co.uk