How To Get Your Garage Ready For an Electric Car?

Table of Contents

1. Understand What You’re Buying
2. Remote Charging Stations – The Brand New Fill-Up Station
3. Deciding on a Charger: Level 1 or Level 2?
4. Get Your Garage Ready For an Electric Car
5. Greater Power = Half the Time, Yet Greater Cost
6. Preparing Your Garage[+]
   1. This is what your technician would evaluate at first
7. Total Cost of the Setup
8. The Verdict – Be Prepared for the Future

Electric vehicles contribute to reducing pollution and fuel prices and the improvement of fuel efficiency and power safety. Additionally, electric fuel appears to be a viable, affordable choice given gas prices’ unpredictability and overall upward trend.

However, shifting to an electric car necessitates more than a change in driving behavior and a topic of discussion with strangers. It’s also a stylistic upgrade.

Read all the helpful garage preparatory suggestions below to ensure your electric car battery is in tip-top condition, from arranging a charging station to keeping ideal conditions in the driveway.

Understand What You’re Buying

First, you must be aware that the electric “charger” is hidden away within the car. It transforms the AC supply from the provided electrons or “fuel” to DC so that your vehicle’s power supply can be recharged.

The wall-housed container with the wire and connector that delivers the voltages is the component you’ll have to purchase. Electric Vehicle Service Equipment, or “EVSE,” is the commonly used term for it. It enables drivers to connect to a power source securely.

Remote Charging Stations – The Brand New Fill-Up Station

All across Canada and the US, charging stations have become ready-available. However, depending only on charging in distant areas is not a wise decision.

Many EVC (Electric Vehicle Charging) facilities are linked with resorts or companies, and they exclusively provide the service for customers or workers on a personal basis. Installing your charging station in your driveway is the better option.

Deciding on a Charger: Level 1 or Level 2?

When you start, it’s vital to realize that you’ll have to become acquainted with the two basic types of car chargers. Many conventional charging points and home-based recharging devices usually offer their service.

There are two types of electric car chargers: level 1 and level 2. A level 1 adapter delivers the usual home power of 110 volts or 120 volts. Once you buy a plug-in vehicle, it usually comes with these. If you see those connections, you’ll know what they’re like.

These are domestic plugs with 3 prongs that are attached to the control module. Usually, these cables are pretty thin. A lengthier cable would extend from the other side of the control module to the vehicle and be 15 to 20 feet in length.

Even though the long time it requires for charging, most electric vehicle drivers who may not have a bunch of time restraints would choose the level 1 station. Level 1 chargers provide 3 to 5 miles an hour of power.

For instance, if you would like to recharge a Nissan Leaf, you’ll have to plug into a conventional 120-volt home socket and charge it for 24 hours to receive a complete charge.

Get Your Garage Ready For an Electric Car

This approach benefits from not requiring the complicated configuration of circuit breakers or specialized electrical connections that other appliances do.

One advantage of this method is that you might plug your car into almost any regular outlet, as long as the voltage is not too high for other machines. The additional electricity needed in these situations will very certainly trip the circuit breaker.

A level 2 charger is much more complicated, but it can recharge at a rate of 25 miles an hour, providing it with a significantly speedier solution. The charger’s voltage spans between 208 – 240 volts.

The level 2 charger is ideal for a homeowner who wants a longer time with their automobile. Homeowners would, nonetheless, need to build a full charging station in their houses since a regular outlet will not be sufficient.

Greater Power = Half the Time, Yet Greater Cost

A 240-volt connection uses more energy than half of the time of a 120-volt connection, providing a smart choice for individuals who are always on the move.

Though your vehicle is regularly parked overnight, however, you may save dollars by using a 120V connection during off-peak times, though it takes longer.

Preparing Your Garage

You don’t have to design a completely new driveway to accommodate an electric vehicle, but when you’re planning on doing so regardless, now would be your opportunity to have your builders install the proper cabling for your electric car’s charger.

You would easily convert your old garage to accommodate an electric vehicle, but you’ll need the assistance of a skilled electrician.

A professional electrician will evaluate how much power your present power supply can take and whether you need a new service line installed. Click here to get in touch with a professional garage repair company for a free consultation.

This is what your technician would evaluate at first

• Where should the new service be located with respect to where your electric vehicle is parked?
• A total load estimation for all of your garage’s old sockets.
• The total price of the installation of your upgraded EVSE.

It’s vital to understand the length between the switchboard and the charging station.

Total Cost of the Setup

The total setup price is usually determined by the number of tasks performed, including the length of wiring that has to be installed if extra or repair breaker boards are required and the labor cost in your region.

It might cost anywhere from a few hundred bucks to a few thousand dollars. But, if you ask your power company, you might be eligible to get discounted offers for installing an EVSE.

The Verdict – Be Prepared for the Future

Electric vehicles are a trend nowadays, and it doesn’t take great vision to realize it. As a result, many households benefit from having electric car charging stations installed in their residence.

As this article demonstrates, the method is much simpler than many individuals imagine, mainly because if one alternative doesn’t fit your criteria, another would most certainly.

It should certainly go without stating that forward-thinking homeowners should assess their current power capacity to meet the requirements of their needs best and wants in the future.

And, if there is any innovation that would be rapidly working its way into the car community today, it is electric cars, and planning our households, mainly garages, for their entrance could be among the wisest decisions any householder can make. There is a high chance that somebody in the family will almost certainly own an electric car eventually.

Thank you for reading!