Do I Need A Car Charger At My Home?
If you own an electric vehicle, it is good to have a dedicated electrical vehicle charger installed at your home. While some can charge their cars at work, if your work doesnandrsquo;t have electrical vehicle chargers installed or there are too few of them installed, you may find yourself running out of power. Additionally, only being able to charge away from home can be inconvenient if you need to go places without chargers. The last thing you want is to be running around town looking for a charging station.
The benefits of installing a car charger at your include:
- Your car is always fully charged each day
- Improved convenience and reliable charging
- Less dependence on remote charging stations
- Less uncertainty regarding your carandrsquo;s battery life
- Safer, more reliable charging
Home charging stations are often less expensive than using public charging stations that charge a premium. Furthermore, when you have a charging station installed at your home, you can charge your car overnight when electricity costs are lower than at peak times during the day.
Types Of Electrical Vehicle Chargers
There are three levels of electric car charging:
- Level One – 120-volt: (this uses your average household outlet
- Level Two – 208-240-volt: (the most commonly used for daily car charging
- Level Three – 400-900-volt: DC (Direct Current) Fast Charging and Tesla Supercharging
Level One chargers are best for hybrid vehicles with smaller batteries. In some cases, your hybrid vehicle will come with a charging connector that you can hook up to an existing outlet in your home. However, Level One chargers are not nearly as fast as level two or three, which is why they are not recommended for fully electric cars.
Most homeowners with fully electric vehicles choose to install Level Two chargers at their homes. Level Two chargers are much faster than Level One and better at meeting daily charging needs. You may also find Level Two chargers at various public charging stations.
Level Three chargers are rapid chargers and are rarely installed at residential settings. Unlike Level One and Level Two chargers that utilize alternating current for power, Level Three chargers use direct current.
Review this Forbes article for a deeper look at how electric vehicle chargers work.
Which Type of Charger Should I Install
At Valley Heating, Cooling, Electrical and Solar, we have installed countless electrical vehicle chargers for both residential and commercial customers. We typically recommend that homeowners install a Level Two charger at their homes. These chargers are more powerful than Level One, offer consistent, reliable charging and can be used with most electric vehicles.
Popular Level Two chargers include:
- Bosch Level Two Plug-in
- ChargePoint Home Flex
- ClipperCreek HCS-50 EVSE
- EvoCharge EVSE
- Grizzl-E
- JuiceBox 40 Smart Charging Station
- Pulsar Plus
- Siemens US2 VersiCharge Universal
If you are considering installing an electrical vehicle charger at your residence, schedule an appointment with our car charger installation team. With installation services from Valley Heating, Cooling. Electrical and Solar, you know your electrical vehicle charger will be installed safely and correctly.
Commercial Car Charger Installation
With gas prices rising, more and more consumers are switching to electric vehicles. Consequently, they need readily available places to charge their cars while out on the go. Many people are even starting to patronize markets, retail stores and other businesses based solely on whether they have electrical vehicle charging stations available for customers. In the age of the electric car, convenient access to charging stations is of the utmost importance.
You should consider installing electrical vehicle chargers at your business if:
- There arenandrsquo;t electrical vehicle chargers near your property
- Your customers or employees drive electric vehicles
- You want to encourage those with electric cars to frequent your business
- You want to update your property
- You want to support the environment
If you are considering installing an electric vehicle charging station at your commercial property or business, reach out to Valley. Like residential electric car charging stations, you need to work with an experienced, licensed electrician to ensure that your charger is installed safely and correctly. Our electrical vehicle charger experts can install any charger, including DC Fast Charging and Tesla Supercharging stations.