How To Choose A Home Charger

If you're ready to install a dedicated home charger the next step is to consider the charger type and cost.

What Is A Charger?

Throughout this page (and our site) we've used the term 'charger', but do remember that, in fact, the charger isn't the box on the wall or car park that you plug into. The charger is actually inside your car.

The charger converts the alternating current ('AC') delivered by mains electricity into the direct current ('DC') used by electric vehicle battteries and replenishes the batteries with 'fresh' DC power when the car needs a recharge.

For everyday purposes though, most of us refer to the charger as the box where you plug in your electric vehicle.

Home chargers are typically fitted to a convenient location on your garage or house wall and connected to the electricity distribution board (or 'fuse board') in your home.

Choosing An Installer

Choosing the right charging point for your home can seem daunting due to the large variety of manufacturers and installers, but the Government has helped first time chargers by introducing a subsidy scheme and appointing approved installers.

Go to the Government web page for home charging for an explanation of the subsidy currently offered for installing home chargers or click on this link for a list of approved installers.

Speak to at least 3 installation companies on the approved list to get quotes and preferably ask around the electric car and van community (through online forums etc) about installers in your area.

Remember: if you do not own the property where you are installing the charger then you will need to check with your landlord prior to having a charge point installed.

What Type Of Charger?

Most home chargers on the market are either 3kW or 7kW and the higher the kilowatts, the quicker the charging.

More powerful 22kW chargers are available if your property has 3 phase electricity (though this tends to be more for industrial or commercial buildings).

Discuss with your potential installers the maximum charger power you could install - the quality and condition of your home electricity distribution board and electricity company fuse rating (in Amps - typically 80-100Amps in a domestic property) could limit your ability to have a very fast charger installed.

Chargers are split into two types; tethered and untethered. A tethered charger comes with the cable and plug for your type of car hard-wired into it. An untethered charger doesn't have the charging cable but you can plug in the one supplied with your vehicle.

Because tethered chargers have the cable permanently connected, it means that the entire system will need to be updated if you change your EV to another model that is not compatible.

An untethered charger is generally universal, but it will mean that you will constantly have to plug in and pull out your charging cable (which is generally kept in the boot of the car).

Cables for an untethered charger tend to cost around £100 and come in various lengths, though with a tethered charger you rule out the risk of losing the cable as it is permanently fixed to your charging box.

Once you're on the road, unless you manage your mileage very carefully, you will eventually need to recharge your electric car or van at a public or private charge point.

The Charging Conundrum

Recharging your electric vehicle at a roadside or car park charge point presents two problems:

1. Finding a charger with the correct power output and connector for your electric vehicle.
2. Paying for your recharge.

The solution to the first problem can often be found in the answer to the second.

You'll normally need to join one of the subscription services for recharging electric vehicles - charge points in public places or at supermarkets and service stations are typically run by companies who allow members of their service to recharge at their charge points.

Normally they will have a smartphone app or a website with details of their charge points and the fees for using them. Some require a monthly subscription whilst others also offer a Pay And Charge ('PAC') option so you can use them as little or as often as you want, though you will typically pay more per recharge for 'PAC' than with a regular subscription.

Quite often you can sign-up on-the-spot to a recharge service at the actual charge point, so if you find an available charge point and you're not already a member of the charge point owner's service you can just join immediately if you have a debit or credit card.

Get It Right!

Finding the correct away charger for your electric car or van is vital, especially for many of the early electric vehicles.

This is because the charging capacity of older electric vehicles is much lower than more recent models and the charge rate needs to be slower to prevent damage to the batteries and associated charge management components.

Types of Charge Point

When you're on the look-out for charging stations you'll find quite a range, so here's our guide to the types of charger you're likely to come across.

Slow Charger: These typically provide a 3kW charge rate, though some lamppost chargers now provide 6kW. They typically don't have a tethered cable so you'll need to provide your own. Charge times are typically between 6-12 hours for a full charge, depending on battery capacity.

Fast Charger: Normally providing 7kW, a fast charger will typically charge a compatible EV in about 4-6 hours, though more powerful 22kW fast chargers can do it in 1-2 hours. Once again you'll need to provide your own cable.

Rapid Charger: This class of charger provides the fastest type of charging that's available generally in the UK at the moment. Typically rated around 43-50kW, rapid chargers have tethered cables so you will need to find one with the correct type of connector for your electric car or van. A rapid charger should recharge your EV to 80% of battery capacity in around 30 minutes.

Ultra-Rapid charger: These charge points aren't as widely available as Rapid Chargers but the numbers are growing. They can provide 100kW or more, providing a full recharge for compatible vehicles in less than an 45 minutes. These chargers will also work with some earlier cars that can take 50kW recharging as they match the charge to the vehicle's ability to accept power.

Tesla Superchargers: Designed only for Tesla cars, these charge points can provide up to 150kW of recharge power through a special Tesla-only connector. Depending on your model of Tesla you may need a special adapter to connect to their Superchargers.

Warning!

Whilst we've mentioned push and jump-starting cars as a way of getting them going, we're definitely not suggesting you do it, nor are we endorsing it, especially on public roads and particularly for electric cars or vans as it could ruin the electric motors (towing can have the same effect for EVs).