How does an electric car charging station in your house work?
Do you have an electric vehicle or are you thinking about buying an electric vehicle and wondering how to charge it at home? Most electric vehicles come with a cord that will plug into a standard 120-volt electrical outlet, but if you want your car to charge quickly, you’ll need a 240-volt charging station.
Charging Via a Standard Outlet
If you just purchased your car, you can charge it via any outlet in your garage or along the exterior of your house if it came with a standard electric vehicle charging cable, called an EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment). This is known as Level 1 charging, and if you thought your cell phone took a long time to charge without a rapid charger, you’re going to be very disappointed in the length of time it takes to charge your electric vehicle.
It’s estimated that you can charge three to four miles per hour with a standard outlet. This means that if you purchased a Smart EQ ForTwo, which has a range of 58 miles, it’ll take you 19 hours to fully charge your vehicle. If you purchased a 2021 Tesla Model Y with a range of 321 miles, it’ll take you roughly 4 to 5 days to fully charge it with a standard outlet. This is not practical if you have to drive to work every day or have a long commute.
Charging Via a 240-Volt Electric Charging Station
If you want your car to charge quickly, you’ll need a 240-volt electric car charging station. The good news is that your house’s electrical system can most likely handle the extra load. This is because you already have appliances that work on 240-volts, including your stove, dryer, water heater and central air conditioner. Of course, you probably don’t want to unplug your dryer every time you need to charge your vehicle, so you’ll need a Level 2 charging station.
To install a 240-volt EV charging station in your garage or driveway, you’ll need the help of an electrician. The electrician will inspect your electrical box to make sure it can handle the additional load. If it can, your electrician will create a dedicated 240-volt circuit and run the wire to the appropriate location. Then, he or she will install the charging station outlet. Once the outlet is installed, you’ll plug your vehicle into the outlet at night, just like you would a phone or other electrical device that requires charging. This will cut the time it takes to charge your vehicle by 75 percent, meaning that if it was taking your vehicle 107 hours to fully charge, it will now take 27 hours or less.
Installing a 240-Volt EV Charging Station With Help From Luminous Electric in Florida
If you need a 240-volt EV station for your electric vehicle, you can count on our electricians from Luminous Electric, serving Florida, to get the job done right. We can inspect your home’s current electrical system and electric box to make sure it has the capacity for a car charging station, create the 240-volt circuit and install your new car charging station.
Visit our car charging station installation page to learn more about our services or give us a call today. We serve the Tampa, Clearwater and Bradenton areas.
