How do Home EV Chargers Work?
With a bit of deft work from a qualified electrician, electric vehicle owners can create their own home charging solution where they plug their car in overnight or any time that it’s idle in the garage or on the drive. EV chargers for home can be installed indoors or outdoors, some needing no additional installation steps as they can be plugged into existing sockets like dryer sockets or even home wall sockets.
The most convenient and stable solution, however, is to hard-wire home EV chargers directly into the ground so that they don’t have to rely on being plugged in or switched on or off. They are always charged and ready to go. The vast majority of home EV chargers are also weather-resistant, waterproof and even lightning proof.
Attached to the charging station main box is a long cable, typically 18-25 feet in length. At the end is a connector that you simply plug into your EV charging socket. Simple units just require you to plug in and allow the charging to happen, but now the market is home to much more sophisticated units as well.
These advanced EV chargers for home use feature Wi-Fi capability, remote functionality, smart charging timers where it will only work when electricity is at the off-peak rate, and more. Many can be controlled via apps on your smartphone or tablet. In terms of power ratings, home EV chargers range from 8 amps all the way up to 40-50 amps, and at their fastest and most powerful settings can add between 30-40 miles of range to an EV each hour.