At the time of writing this there are over ten different brands of domestic home EV chargers.
Now, before you go spending hours researching which one may be best for you.
Don’t.
There isn’t a huge amount of difference between chargers in terms of speed and functionality – though warranties and aesthetics do naturally vary.
However, there are some differences around built-in safety features. Only a qualified installer will understand the implications and suitability for your installation.
Sure, if you have solar PV and you want to monitor your export and charging all in one app, allowing you to charge your car when you’re generating, then that narrows your choices considerably.
However, the most important thing you need to think about:
Home EV chargers are rated at up to 7.4kW which is 32 amps – this is between 32% – 53% capacity of a standard incoming fuse.
Take a kettle @ 2.5kW. You know that will boil 1 litre of water in around 2 minutes.
An EV charger requires 3 x the power and it’ll be in use for up to 12 hours, most likely while you are asleep.
The most important thing for the safety of you, your family, your home, and the lithium filled EV on the driveway, is that your EV charger is installed correctly and in the safest way possible.
If this goes wrong the outcome could be inconvenient at the least – nuisance tripping and losing power to all or part of your home as well as to your charger, through to the catastrophic and having a fire in your home.
Anyone can offer an installation cheaper – but what’s the true cost?
Decide first on WHO you want to carry out the installation and then discuss which chargers may be best suited – trying to guide yourself based on blog posts and manufacturer websites is pointless.
That’s the very reason I don’t make any general recommendations, anyone doing so is somewhat impartial.
If you’re on the fence about what I’ve just said, ask yourself. Would you diagnose a serious health concern using the internet rather than seeing a specialist? Would a specialist diagnose you without knowing what’s wrong with you or seeing/speaking to you first?
Thought not.
Anyway – if you want an EV charger installed properly with safety and compliance in mind so you can rest at ease, then my details are at the bottom of the page.
P.S On the off chance you hadn’t figured it out already, it’s most likely I won’t be the cheapest so if that’s important to you – then we’re likely not a good fit.
