Prepare Your Home for an Electric Vehicle

If you’re interested in taking home the latest electric vehicle to Prescott, then one thing you need to be aware of is the prep work that you have to do to your charge before it arrives. EVs require a bit more home preparation another other cars, namely because you’ll want to install an electric vehicle home charger. While public electric vehicle charging stations are becoming more and more common, it’s easiest and most convenient for you to do your charging from home. Therefore, there are a few key steps to follow, so you can make sure everything is ready when your new EV arrives. Red Wing Chevrolet has everything you need to know in the guide below. But if you find yourself asking questions about electric vehicle charging stations and more, contact us and we’ll help answer them immediately. 

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

When it comes to picking an electric vehicle home charger, there are two different variants to consider: Level 1 and Level 2. Here are the details:

• Level 1 chargers are simply the standard electrical outlet, the kind that you use to power everything from your refrigerator to your phone. While they are the cheapest and most common kind of charger, they often take multiple days to fully charge an electric car.
• Level 2 chargers are made specifically for EVs and take a matter of hours to fully charge an electric car. However, you can get a good amount of mileage–anywhere from 60 to 200 miles–off of just 20-30 minutes of charging. You can easily charge an EV for your morning commute by plugging it in before going to bed.

2. Ready Your Garage

Before your EV gets delivered, make sure there’s enough room in your garage to fit the vehicle and your new electric vehicle home charger. This includes clearing out any clutter and finding your home’s power panel. The power panel is in charge of distributing electricity throughout the entire building, and is rated for a maximum amount of current flow measured in Amperes. Your power panel’s Ampere rating should be printed on the circuit breaker.

3. Assess Your Consumption

After you’ve located your home’s power panel, you’ll want to assess how much electrical energy you consistently use in your house. This is so you don’t accidentally overload your electric distribution panel by charging your new EV when it comes to the electric vehicle charging stations.

4. Hire an Electrician

The next thing you’ll want to do is hire an electrician to install your electric vehicle home charger. Depending on what your research has told you, you can have them install either a Level 1 or Level 2 charger. The electrician can also either install a dedicated 240-volt plug or they can add a hardwired circuit back to the power panel. The average cost of installing an electric vehicle home charger is usually a couple hundred dollars, but if your power panel is insufficient and needs upgrading, it could increase to anywhere between $1,000 and $3,000.

5. Buy Your Charger & Have it Installed

Research and purchase the EV charger of your choice, then have an electrician professionally install it. 

Find Your EV Today at Red Wing Chevrolet

If you have any questions about installing an electric vehicle home charger, electric vehicle charging batteries, or anything else we discussed above, feel free to contact us anytime! Our dealership near Zumbrota and Cannon Falls is here with all of the latest new vehicles including electric vehicles that are ready to be taken home without any issue with the help of our finance department.