How do I Charge Electric Vehicle at Home

Want to charge your electric powered vehicle at home? There are three options for charging an EV at home: 1) Plug into a regular 110-volt wall outlet.

This is the cheapest and slowest option, sometimes taking an entire day to fully charge a battery.

An overnight charge, how- ever, can give 40 to 50 miles of range, enough for most daily commutes.

It’s always a good idea to use the cord (included with every EV and plug- in hybrid) and a well-insulated coupler that plugs into the car.

2) Plug the EV into a 240-volt outlet, the same kind that a washer or dryer plugs into.

This charges a 25 kWh battery about 4 times faster than on 110 volts, and charges to full in about 4 to 6 hours.

You might need to hire an electrician to install such an outlet, known as NEMA 14-50.

3) Buy and have an electrician install a Level 2 EV charger.

These are made specifically for this purpose and work about as fast as the 240-volt option.

Some of those are hardwired, and some can plug into the NEMA outlet.It’s more challenging to charge if you’re a renter.

On the other hand some EV owners run a long extension cord to a 110-volt wall outlet in their homes, but that won’t work for everyone.

Some newer apartment complexes have parking garage charging stations.

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