Electric Car Charging at Home
In recent years we have seen an increasing number of hybrid and electric vehicles in use on our roads.
The technology has become widely available, and it offers a greener and more economical way to drive. A car like this can be charged up at home, and in this article, we will look at this subject in more detail.
A Car Charging Summary
An electric car can be charged up at home with a regular three pin plug attached to an EVSE cable or via a wall mounted charging point. Many drivers prefer to use a home charging point because it provides a faster charging experience and it has some useful safety features.
Charging an electric car is a little like charging up your smartphone, you plug it in overnight and then top it up as required during the day. Even if you have a wall mounted home charging point, it’s a good idea to also have a three pin EVSE charging cable as a charging backup option.
When you charge an electric car at home, you will need a home charging point or a spare power outlet for the three pin EVSE cable installed near where you park your car at night.
The charging point is usually wall mounted, and it has weatherproof features so it can be installed on an external wall if necessary.
Our recommended electricians will be able to offer the best advice on placement and the right equipment to suit your needs.
An electric car should have either a type 1 or type 2 plug, and you need a charging point that is compatible with your electric vehicle.
The Cost of Electric Charging
A wall mounted home charging point will cost around £400 with an OLEV government grant. After the initial installation cost, you will only pay for the electricity needed to charge your vehicle.
An overnight electricity rate is typically 10p per kWh, and an electric car would use around 2p worth of electric per mile travelled. In real terms, an electric car driver could easily save up to £1,000 on their fuel bill each year compared to driving a diesel or petrol only car that costs approximately 15p per mile travelled.
It’s also worth noting that an electric or hybrid car could be exempt from road tax, benefit in kind tax (for company cars), and the London congestion charge.
The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) Grant
The OLEV grant is a government grant for electric vehicles, and it’s sometimes known as the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS). This can provide a £500 discount off the cost of purchasing and installing an electric home charging point.
The grant is available for most electric and hybrid plug in cars, and you can claim up to two charging point for every household.
To qualify for the grant the eligible car must have been purchased from the 1st of October 2016 onwards, the charging point must be an OLEV approved model, and you must have off street parking for your car.
Making an OLEV Grant Claim
To claim the OLEV grant, you will need to answer some simple questions and display some relevant documentation. Our recommended electricians will help you with this, and the grant can be claimed on your behalf.
The electrician will also provide free advice about the options available to you, and the actual installation will usually take around three hours.
Then you will get a full demonstration of how the system works and any remaining questions that you may have will be answered. After the installation, you can enjoy greener and more economical driving by charging your electric car faster and more conveniently at your home.
If you’d like to speak with our recommended electrician in your area regarding installing a car charging point at your home, you can find an electrician closest to you here.
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