5 Steps to Preparing for an Electric Vehicle Home Charger

Interested in buying a new car that can give you the efficiency you need on Plano roads? When you choose a new electric vehicle, you may not be thinking about the preparations you’ll need to make to your home. Owning an EV means setting up an at-home charging station. Though there are EV charging stations all over, you’ll want the convenience of one at home so your vehicle is ready to go when you need it. With that said, here are the steps you can take to prepare your home for an EV. If you have any questions in the meantime, be sure to contact our team at Town North Mazda.

1. Decide on a Charging Type (AKA Charging Level)

There are a few different types of EV chargers you can consider. Most home car charging systems fall into Level 1 or Level 2. Here’s some more information:

• Level 1 EV charging often takes days to fully charge an electric car. 
• Level 2 EV charging often takes several hours to fully charge an electric car. You can often get between 60-200 miles of range in just 20-30 minutes with Level 2 DC charging, though. For this reason, most people intermix daytime “top-off” charging with overnight charging.

2. Ready Your Garage

First you’ll want to clean out your garage to make room. This means decluttering and organizing your space. Once your garage is cleaned out and ready, you can schedule the delivery of your home EV charging system. 

3. Find Your Power Panel & Assess Consumption

So what is a power panel and what does it do? The power panel in your home distributes electricity throughout the building. This is rated for a maximum amount of current flow that’s measured in Amperes. Most newer homes have a 100 Amp power panel. You can find the amperage rating printed on your main circut breaker.

Next, you’ll want to figure out how much electrical energy you use consistently in your home. You can do this by performing a self-assessment of your electricity use before you install an EV charging system. You want to make sure you don’t overload your electric distribution panel.

4. Hire an Electrician

After you have a space cleared, hire an electrician to discuss any concerns you may have about your power consumption and adding EV charging. You can also have a dedicated 240-volt plug or hardwired circut added to the power panel. Typically this costs a couple hundred dollars, but could be upwards of $1,000 or $3,000 if your power panel is not sufficient as-is.

5. Buy Your Charger & Have it Installed

Once you research the charger you want, you can purchase your EV charger and have it professionally installed by the electrician of your choice.

Contact Town North Mazda to Learn More!

Ready to get behind the wheel of a new vehicle? Check out our inventory to find the right model. If you want some help with your available financing options, our experts can walk you through the process.