5 Steps to Preparing for an Electric Vehicle Home Charger

When you’re ready to buy a new model, especially an EV, you’ll want to know how to prepare your home for one. Though EVs have plenty of benefits, one of the most important is a reduction in your carbon footprint and lower maintenance costs, there’s a bit of preparation required. When you buy a new EV, make sure your home is ready to charge it. While there are EV charging stations in the Valencia area, home charging will still probably be your primary method of EV charging for the foreseeable future, anyway. Learn more about how to prepare your house for an EV with our team at Hello Mazda of Valencia.

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

First, you’ll want to research the different types of EV chargers. Most home car charging systems will fall into a Level 1 or Level 2. Here’s some more information on home car charging stations:

• 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

Since the charging station will be located in your garage, you’ll want to make sure to clean out the space, especially if you’re currently using it as a storage space. Once this is done, you’ll be ready for the delivery of your EV charging station.

3. Find Your Power Panel & Assess Consumption

Each power panel is rated for a maximum amount of current flow measured in Amperes. This power panel will distribute electricity throughout your home. In most new homes, you’ll find a 100 Amp power panel. Check the amperage rating on the main circuit breaker to be sure of the current flow.

Next, get a handle on how much electricity you consistently use in your home with a self-assessment on your electricity use before you install an EV charging system. You want to avoid overloading your electric distribution panel.

4. Hire an Electrician

The next step is to hire an electrician. This way you can discuss any concerns you have about your power consumption and adding EV charging. They can also help you install a dedicated 240-volt plug or a hardwired circuit back to the power panel. This typically costs a couple hundred dollars, but could be up to $1,000 or $3,000 if it’s found that your power panel isn’t sufficient as is and needs an upgrade.

5. Buy Your Charger & Have it Installed

Once yur research is done, you can purchase an EV charger and have it installed. We recommend having it professionally installed by your electrician of choice.

Contact Hello Mazda of Valencia to Learn More!

If you have any additional questions about getting your home ready for an electric vehicle or you want to learn more about charging stations, our team near Sylmar can help. Contact our team and we’ll get you the information you need. Also, check out our online service tips and tricks to learn more.