A question we get asked a lot is whether it’s possible to charge an electric car using a standard domestic plug.
While the answer is yes, there’s a reason why we recommend you don’t. And that reason is about 17 hours long. Yes, according to the RAC1, because most electrical vehicle manufacturers limit the current drawn from a regular 3-pin plug socket to about 2.3kW, it would take over 17 hours to fully charge a 40kWh RV battery.
Thankfully, there’s a much more time-efficient, energy efficient, and cost-efficient alternative: wall charging units. In a nutshell, a wall charging unit is a standalone charger that’s mounted to an external wall of your home and connected to your electricity supply. It gives you the freedom to pull up, plug in, and recharge.
A 7kW wall charging unit will typically deliver three times as much power and charge your car three times as fast. Wall charging units with a lower power rate (and therefore lower cost) are available, of course, but it will take longer to charge your vehicle. Though still not as long as a domestic plug!
Energy-saving
Autocar2 reports that about 80% of all electric car charging happens at home. You may be wondering what knock-on effect charging your electric car at home might have on your energy bill. The good news is that electricity suppliers cater to EV owners with money-saving domestic tariffs designed to capitalise on cheaper rates at night.
Range anxiety
The increasing popularity of electric vehicles has led to a relatively new phenomenon known as ‘range anxiety’, which is the fear of not being able to find a chargepoint.
To put your mind at ease, rest assured that, when fully charged, an electric vehicle can typically drive for between 100 and 300 miles. Plus, according to EDF Energy3, there are in excess of 35,000 charge point connectors in over 13,000 locations across the UK.
Of course, the simplest way to banish range anxiety is to have your own electric car charger at home. To discuss making that electric dream a reality, get in touch on info@essexcarcharger.co.uk