When it comes to buying a new car, the last thing that most Altoona drivers probably think about is how to prepare their home for it. While EVs have many benefits — among them, a potential reduction in your carbon footprint and lower maintenance costs than most gasoline cars — one aspect of them that requires a bit of preparation is taking delivery of them. Namely, when you buy a new EV, you want to make sure that your home is ready to charge it, which means learning how to prepare your home for an electric vehicle.
While there are electric vehicle charging stations in the Pittsburgh area, home charging will still probably be your primary method of EV charging for the foreseeable future. With that said, let’s delve into five easy steps you can take to prepare your house for a new electric vehicle home charger before you take home a brand-new EV from Blue Knob Auto.
1. Decide on a Charging Type (AKA Charging Level)
If you haven’t already researched the different types of electric vehicle charging stations, now is a good time to start. As a refresher, most home car charging systems fall into Level 1 or Level 2. Here’s more information about electric vehicle charging batteries:
- 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 for an Electric Vehicle Home Charger
If you haven’t cleaned out or organized your Hollidaysburg garage, now is the time to do that before installing an electric vehicle home charger. Make sure that you get your garage ready for an EV before you take delivery. You may wish to clean out clutter first if your garage has been used as a storage space for a long time.
3. Find Your Power Panel & Assess Consumption
The power panel in your home distributes electricity throughout the entire building. It should be rated for a maximum amount of current flow measured in Amperes. Most new homes come with a 100-amp power panel, but there should be an amperage rating printed on your main circuit breaker.
Next, you’ll want to get a handle on how much electrical energy you consistently use in your house by performing a self-assessment before you install an electric vehicle charging station system. You do not want to overload your electric distribution panel.
4. Hire an Electrician
Next, hire an electrician. You can discuss any concerns you have about your power consumption and adding EV charging. You can also have them install a dedicated 240-volt plug or add a hardwired circuit back to the power panel. Usually, this costs a couple hundred dollars, but it could be up to $1,000 or $3,000 if it’s found that your power panel is not sufficient as-is and requires upgrading. Installation prices may rise with fluctuations in global economic conditions.
5. Buy Your Charger & Have It Installed
If you haven’t already researched and purchased an EV charger at this point, it would be the time to do so and have it professionally installed by the electrician of your choice.
Contact Blue Knob Auto to Learn More
Do you have additional questions or concerns about preparing your home for an electric vehicle? What about our electric vehicle charging batteries? Contact us anytime at Blue Knob Auto or call 814-695-1387. Meanwhile, browse our current selection of electric vehicles in Duncansville.
