Why should you install an EV charger in your home?

Electric vehicles have a plethora of amazing benefits, including helping you avoid high prices at the gas pump. However, charging can be difficult without a proper EV charging system. A standard wall plug can take hours or even days to fully charge an electric vehicle, and that means you might never be able to drive to your car’s fullest range capacity.

EV chargers allow you to maximize your charging time by filling your car’s battery with more power, more quickly, and with a higher level of safety. The science shows two main reasons: first, EV chargers handle the inverting process ahead of time, meaning your car itself doesn’t need to invert the power coming in. Because home chargers have bigger inverters, they can supply more power directly to your car’s batteries at a faster rate. Second, EV chargers use a 240 volt supply line rather than a standard 120 volt line, meaning they can handle more power without increasing amperage, which makes the process safer. 

But if you asked our master electrician, the main benefits are: 

Home EV Chargers Are Extremely Convenient

An estimated 80 percent of EV drivers reportedly charge their vehicle at home, usually overnight. Those who install an EV charging station at home get in the habit of plugging the car in to charge at night, much like plugging in their cell phone. Hopefully, you won’t need the car while sleeping, so you take advantage of the downtime and know you will be fully ready to go in the morning. Additionally, opting to install an EV charging station at home saves you the time involved in traveling to a public charger and waiting — sometimes for hours — while the EV acquires enough range for your needs.

Home Chargers Saves You Money vs Gas And Public Charging

Driving an EV was already cheaper per mile than running on gas when gas prices averaged 3.50 a gallon. However, to keep costs down, most people install an EV charging station at home and use it overnight, when electricity costs are lower, and the electricity is usually from cleaner sources. Conversely, those using public charging stations are typically using more expensive, fossil-fuel derived electricity during the day.

Besides recouping the cost of the electricity, public charging station owners, like all businesses, factor their overhead into their prices. These costs include rent or mortgage payments, the cost of the charging stations, maintenance, and profits. Even free public charging stations at malls, restaurants and other sites cost in terms of time and the fact that you will likely spend money while inside.

Sites with Level 3 DC fast charging stations charge premium rates for their use. This is partly based on cost since those chargers cost significantly more than Level 2 chargers. A Level 3 EV charging station installation often requires property upgrades to facilitate their 600V to 900V direct current connections. Additionally, you are paying a premium rate for the ability to charge your car in about 30 minutes. Level 3 charging costs approximately 25 to 50 percent more than Level 2 charging.

Home EV Chargers Save You Guesswork

When you have a high quality, reliable EV charger at home, you have to worry about waiting in line or getting stuck while charging at nearby public charging stations. Plug your EV in at your convenience, and program it to charge while you sleep, with the comfort of knowing you will have considerable range in the morning.

Your EV undoubtedly came with at least Level 1 charger that can be plugged into any 120 volt standard household outlet the charger’s cord reaches. While this charger will not fill most batteries even when plugged in all night, a Level 1 charger will add about 5 miles per hour, which may be adequate for your commute. Better still, if you had a more powerful Level 2 charging station installed at home, plugging in overnight can give you a range of about 250 miles, depending on the battery.

Regular pricing is another element of predictability that home charging offers. Unlike gas prices, which can fluctuate wildly during a year, electricity rates do not change often. You can figure out the rate your utility company charges at a particular time of day and calculate your cost per fill up. This is a particular advantage, akin to walking into a gas station and deciding how much you want to pay. Public charging stations are still too new to gauge whether their pricing will be steady or increase for peak times, such as holiday weekends.

EV Charging At Home Helps Your Battery Last Longer

Nearly all electric vehicle manufacturers advise limiting how often you use a Level 3 fast charger. Several studies have found that frequent supercharging can degrade capacity and charging ability in an EV battery faster than lower level chargers. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take advantage when finding a vacant fast charger on a road trip so you can return to the highway faster, but frequently using a Level 3 fast charger has been shown to significantly affect the battery life. Tesla has even programmed its cars to limit charging speeds if they are supercharged too often.

Additionally, it helps if you use a DC fast charger to fill the battery range only to 80 percent. Fast chargers charge quickly only when your battery’s state of charge, or SOC, is below 80 percent. For the remaining 20 percent, these units slow down to avoid overcharging. You would be paying for a Level 3 charge at that point, but getting a lower level. It can take almost as long to add the remaining 20 percent of the amount as it did to reach the 80 percent level.

It is essential to know your battery type and what is most efficient and effective to extend its life. Not every EV battery can accommodate Level 3 charging.

Get Cash Incentives And Tax Benefits For Installing An EV Charger At Home

Another reason homeowners should install an EV charger at home is the availability of tax incentives in many states and cities. In some cases, incentives can stack and it becomes advantageous to install a charger even before you have purchased an electric vehicle. The federal government is funding state incentives for EV purchases and EV charging station installations. Incentives vary by jurisdiction and in some cases even using a certain utility company can unlock additional financial advantages. Even though benefits vary by region, state, city, or utility company, the benefits are almost always considerable.

For example, in July 2022 Illinois rolled out incentives that reimburse homeowners 80 percent of costs for an EV charging station installation. Considering some EV manufacturers include EV charging hardware with the purchase of their electric vehicles, the cost for charger installation becomes negligible, and your EV investment becomes profitable that much faster. 

Connecticut offers another example of incentive models, having started a program offering direct cash incentives for Level 2 and Level 3 EV charging station installations. In this particular program, the more environmentally friendly the source of the electricity your charger uses, the larger the incentive.