One of the huge conveniences of electric car or vehicle (EV) ownership is the ability to charge your car at home. But how much does a home EV charger installation cost? What’s the best home EV charger? How much power will you need?
A Level 2 (240 volt) home charging station allows you to plug in a nearly depleted EV in the evening and wake up to a full battery the next morning. Once you experience this, you will never want to look back. However, most homes don’t currently come with a built-in EV charging station, so having one installed is something every EV owner might want to consider.
If you’re in the Sacramento area and need your home EV charger installed, we can help! We serve the entire Sacramento area and we’re happy to do it for you for a great price! Click the button below to request a free quote.
How much does it cost to install an EV charger at home?
Most U.S. homeowners will spend between $1150 and $2750 to purchase and install a 240-volt charging station. High-quality home chargers cost between $350 and $750 or so, and the typical installation costs around $800-$2000. The price charged by an electrician will vary based on the following four factors:
- Cost of labor where you live
- Power of the charger
- Distance between the electrical panel and the charging station
- Complexity of the job
- Price of permits
Some homeowners have been given shockingly large quotes ranging from $5000-$10,000. One explanation for these big estimates could include an outdated electrical panel or a panel that doesn’t have room for a new 240-volt circuit. The process of upgrading to a larger breaker panel can add a few thousand dollars to the job. If the service wires feeding electricity to your house can’t deliver enough amperage to accommodate an EV charger on top of your existing electrical load, this adds to your expense, especially if the lines are buried underground. If these wires need to be replaced, you will need to get your local utility company involved, which can stretch the timeline of your EV charger by weeks if not months. Experts estimate that 20 to 30 percent of home EV charger installations today require a load management system or panel upgrade.
What Features To Look For In An EV Charger
Here’s a list of features that we recommend you consider when purchasing a home EV charger:
- A cord that’s 20 feet or longer: A long cable will give you flexibility. If you have a two-car garage, you can typically charge vehicles in either parking spot with a single charging station. If your home charging station is close to your garage door, a long cord will allow you to plug in a vehicle parked outside. If your next EV has a charging port in a different area than your current vehicle, a long cord will prevent you from having to move your charging station.
- Wi-Fi connectivity: An internet-connected home charging station isn’t necessary for most EV drivers, but there’s a group of power users who want the control and data offered by “smart” chargers. These units track the energy used during each charging session and they also calculate the cost of the electricity. These chargers also allow you to set a charging schedule so you can plug in a car at 7 p.m. but delay charging until 10 p.m. This feature is valuable for anyone on a time-of-use utility plan which offers cheaper electricity rates during off-peak hours. It’s important to note, however, that many EVs and plug-in hybrids also have these charge-scheduling features already built into their infotainment systems.
- Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or Intertek (ETL) certification: These are safety organizations that thoroughly test home charging stations and mobile charging cords to ensure that these products meet industry safety standards. In an attempt to keep costs low, many of the cheapest home charging stations and mobile charging cords skip these certifications. Keep in mind that a faulty charger could lead to an expensive repair bill or even a house fire. We wouldn’t recommend using an unproven unit.
- The right amount of power: The power output of your charging station, measured in kilowatts, determines how quickly your EV can be charged. However, there are a few reasons that more power and faster charging aren’t necessarily better. We will explain below how to figure out how much power you’ll want from your charging station.
What Are The Kilowatt Needs For My Home Charging Station?
For most drivers, we recommend 9.6 kilowatts, which will add about 29 miles per hour of charging for a midsize crossover SUV. We consider 7.2 kilowatts the minimum and 11.5 nice to have unless you have extenuating circumstances.
When it comes to charging at home, speed and power aren’t all-important. If your vehicle is regularly parked for eight to twelve hours at a time, you shouldn’t have a problem waking up to a fully charged vehicle whenever you want it. EV drivers don’t typically charge from empty to full. It’s better for the longevity of your battery to charge from around 30 – 80 percent for your daily needs and to only use the full capacity of the battery when you need the extra range for longer trips.
For a more precise assessment of how high you can go, start by figuring out the maximum power your vehicle can accept for AC or Level 2 charging. You can look for this figure in an automaker’s technical specifications or on forums. Many manufacturers don’t include these numbers in the owner’s manual. This number can vary from anywhere between 6.6 and 19.2 kilowatts, with most of today’s EVs limited to 11.5 kilowatts. Large electric trucks can often charge at the highest power.
You will want to work with an electrician to determine what your home and budget can support. The difference between 9.6 and 11.5 kilowatts might not be worth the added cost of upgrading your electrical service or installing a load-management system. It’s important to note that more power also drives up the cost because it requires thicker and more expensive wiring between the panel and the charging station.
If your current financial situation and electrical capacity make it possible for you to easily accommodate a more powerful charger, you might want to “go big” now. This would prepare you for a future time when you may own several EV’s or one with a larger battery and faster charging capability. Plugging your EV into a charging station that provides more power than your car can handle won’t do any damage. Your charging station will communicate with your vehicle and never draw more power than it can accept.
How many amps are needed?
Talking about both kilowatts and amps is ultimately redundant. If you tell us you want to charge your vehicle at 9.6 kilowatts, we know you want to charge at 40 amps. It is just simple math. To calculate power in kilowatts, you multiply amps by volts and divide by 1,000. For a single-family home in America, you’ll usually use 240 volts in this calculation. It’s important to note that the circuit breaker for a charging station is always 125 percent larger than the amperage that you’ll charge at. So, for example, a 9.6-kilowatt charger delivers 240 volts at 40 amps, but your unit will be wired with a 50-amp breaker in your electrical panel.
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Should you use a 240-volt plug or hardwire it?
In years past, we’ve recommended installing a NEMA 14-50 outlet for a home EV charger. This would allow you to take a charging station with you if you ever move or replace it without hiring an electrician. This outlet can also be used as an occasional-use device like a heater or welder.
With that said, we currently recommend hardwiring all wall chargers to prevent nuisance tripping. Most UL- and ETL-certified Level 2 chargers come equipped with internal ground-fault protection to cut power if there’s a surge in your system. Most local electrical codes require the use of a ground-fault-circuit-interrupting (GFCI) breaker when adding a 240-volt outlet for charging an EV. If you have two GFCIs on the same circuit, you run the risk of the circuit breaker cutting power unnecessarily. The “nuisance” is the result of this situation. It’s a major inconvenience to wake up and discover your car hasn’t charged during the night.
Can You Charge Your EV Using A Standard 120-volt Outlet?
The short answer is “yes”, but it’s not always ideal. Using a 120-volt cable as your main charging station is only practical if you have a short daily commute, around 30 miles or less, and charge your EV frequently. Level 1 charging typically adds three miles or less of driving range for every hour of charging. In cold temperatures, you may merely maintain the charge you started with at the time you plugged in your EV.
Using a 120-volt outlet for day-to-day charging with occasional visits to public Level 2 and Level 3 charging stations may seem like a good idea. However, several problems come with this approach. Planning a 4-10 hour charging session at a Level 2 station quickly becomes a huge inconvenience. Using DC fast chargers can cut down on your idle time, but it can cost three times as much as home charging, and it also isn’t good for the health of your battery to use these high-power stations regularly.
Can You Use The 240-Volt Charging Cable That Came With Your EV?
Yes. These cords are often labeled as mobile charging cables, but they can be used for regular charging at home. The units that support 240-volt charging are often limited to 7.2 kilowatts, so they won’t deliver the fastest possible home charging, but it will be enough for most users. Be sure to mount the power electronics box (if it is included) because it will reduce strain on the outlet.
EV Charging Installation Tips
The process from when you first contact an electrician to when the job is complete is generally four to eight weeks. So if you are planning to buy an EV shortly, it’s a good idea to start the installation charging process as soon as you can. It can be extremely frustrating and inconvenient to be the new owner of an EV without reliable home charging. With that said, it’s important to be aware that some automakers include a charging station or a stipend that can be applied toward installing one when you purchase an EV. In these types of situations, you’ll want to wait until the paperwork is signed before you start the home EV charger installation process.
It’s also a good rule of thumb to check to see if your utility provider, city, or state offer any rebates, incentives, or tax credits for installing or purchasing a home EV station.
Make sure you understand your rate plan with your electric utilities. Adding an EV to your fleet is going to make your electric bill go up regardless of when you charge it. But if you’re on a “time of use” plan, you’ll want to make sure you are charging during off-peak hours.
The Home EV Charger Installation Conclusion
If you live in the Sacramento area and would like the assistance of a professional to aid you in the process of installing your EV home charger, give us a call at LNL Construction. We will provide you with all the information and expertise you’ll need to guide you through the process of EV charger installation step-by-step, and we will ensure that you’ll end up with the right EV charger for you and provide a competent installer–all at a competitive and fair price.
Our free estimate process is simple. When you contact us, one of our experienced professionals will visit your home or property and assess what’s needed. You’ll then be provided with a detailed estimate that will outline the scope of your project, the materials required, and the estimated cost. We will ensure that you have all the information you need to make an informed decision about going forward with your EV charger installation or other home improvement project.
