If you have begun looking into electric vehicles as your next purchase on the vehicle ladder, you’ll need a home EV charging setup.
Domestic charging points are different in many ways from the public charging points you’ll see in daily life.
To successfully and efficiently run an EV, you’ll need to consider everything you’ll need to buy and install to facilitate the daily use of an EV. Running an EV purely from public charging points is not recommended and can quickly get very expensive.
This article will cover everything you’ll need to know and have for a domestic EV charging point.
Before we begin, we’ll need to jargon bust;
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Need To Know Jargon For EV Technology
Here are some common phrases used in the world of EVs that you should be familiar with:
- EV; electric vehicle. This is used to describe any fully battery electric vehicle.
- PHEV; plug-in hybrid vehicle. This is used to describe a vehicle that uses both fossil fuels and a small electric battery.
- Type 1; a type 1 charging cable or port is one of the two types of charging setups available. Type 1 is not common in the UK but is far more common in the US and Asia.
- Type 2; a type 2 charging cable or port is the most common type of charging connection in the UK. Most modern EVs and PHEVs on the UK market will have a type 2 connection.
- Single-Phase; refers to the type of power supply a property will have. Single-phase power supplies are usually restricted to residential properties only.
- Three-phase; refers to the second type of power supply a property will have. Commercial and industrial properties will usually have a three-phase power supply.
- kW; this is the unit of measurement kilowatt.
kWh; this is the unit of measurement kilowatt-hour.
What is The Difference Between A Type 1 and Type 2 Connection?
In the UK, type 1 connections and EVs or PHEVs with a type 1 connection are rarer than their type 2 counterparts. Originally, when EVs started breaking out into the UK car market, they were almost always imported from Asia or the US with type 1 connectors due to the EV’s region of manufacture (as well as their intended consumer base).
When EVs became more popular and the demand for EVs increased in the UK, car manufacturers built EVs designed for the UK market. Creating a more modern type 2 connector that better suits the electric grid in the UK was needed.
A type 1 connector will have five pins, whereas a type 2 connector will have seven. Most public charging points in the UK will be designed for use with type 2 connectors, but if you find that your EV has a type 1 connector, converters can be bought that allow type 1 EVs to use type 2 charging points.
What Kind Of EV Charger Should I Buy For My Home?
A variety of chargers are available for domestic use from a whole host of reputable brands. Brands such as Wallbox, Myenergi, Easee, and EVBox are industry leaders in manufacturing and distributing premium chargers.
These chargers are designed for external use and to hook up to your home’s single-phase power supply.
When buying a charger, you’ll want to buy the following:
- A single-phase supply
- A 3kW, 3.6kW, or 7kW charger.
You’ll struggle to find a charger suitable for domestic settings that can output more than 7kW because most 22kW, 50kW, and 150kW chargers are designed for commercial and industrial use.
22kW, 50kW, and 150kW chargers will use three-phase power supplies that aren’t available in domestic properties.
Do I Choose A Tethered Connection Or An Untethered Connection?
When buying a charger to install at your home, you’ll likely come across two options for the charger you select; tethered and untethered (also known as a socket connection).
The type of connection you choose will be based heavily on how you intend to use your EV and your overall lifestyle.
For those who prefer a more traditional style, a tethered charging point functions similarly to a standard fuel pump. The charging cable is tethered to the charging point, and you plug the cable in to charge your EV, much like you’d insert a fuel nozzle to fill a petrol or diesel car tank.
An untethered or socket connection does the same thing, the only difference being that the cable can disconnect from the charger and the car. This allows the cable to be transported with the car if need be.
To Summerise
There’s a lot of information to digest when selecting the right EV charging setup for your home and lifestyle – but we hope this article has helped.
One thing you should always make sure and do is never buy a charger that is three-phase for a domestic setting.
Best of luck starting your EV journey!