How To Buy And Install The Right Home EV Charger

With a gas-engine car, most owners drive until it’s low on fuel because gas stations are everywhere, and gassing up is a quick stop. But empty-to-full charging is not what EV owners do most of the time. They top off every night or two, and as long as the car is charged in the morning, charging time doesn’t matter and range anxiety isn’t an issue for daily driving. Some use public charging, especially for fast charging that isn’t available at home. But 83% of all EV charging is done at home, according to the JD Power U.S. Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Home Charging Study.

Range and charging time may not be a big issue if the EV is the secondary household vehicle. But if an EV is the only car, for a long summer or holiday trip, owners can do what owners of compact gasoline-powered sedans might do: Rent a midsize or larger SUV for that two-week vacation. Or find a hotel with on-site charging.

For those who charge at home, you need to have the right charging equipment and the proper electrical supply. With EV charging, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Electric vehicles have different charging capabilities and every owner also has their own driving needs.

Here’s a look at key aspects of choosing the right charging equipment, installing it properly and the best practices for using EV charging equipment at home.

Popular sizes of 240-volt chargers deliver 16, 32, 40 or 48 amps of power. They recharge a smaller battery (60 kWh) in 5.5 to 16 hours, a larger 100 kWh in 9 to 26.5 hours. Using 120 volts at 12 amps, it could be 43 to 72 hours. Some automaker-supplied cables can charge at 240 volts. Tom Moloughney

First, let’s clear up some nomenclature. Technically, the charger for an electric vehicle is built into the car. The device that you plug into your car is best known as an EVSE, short for “Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment.” The EVSE simply supplies the voltage, while the in-built charger within your car physically charges the battery within. But as many will equate their EV with another battery-powered device in their hands or in their pocket, it’s easier to think of the EVSE as a charger.

Most electric cars come standard with a portable charging cable. However, every manufacturer provides a different unit, with varying levels of charging capabilities. In some cases, the same manufacturer provides different standard charging equipment depending on which of its EV offerings you purchase or lease.

Some of these supplied charging devices are powerful and can fully recharge your EV overnight. These are called Level 2 chargers because they need to be plugged into a 240-volt outlet. (Memory aid: for Level 2, think Level 240 volts—even if that’s not why it’s called Level 2.) In the U.S., 240-volt outlets are commonly used for clothes dryers and electric ranges. A Level 2 device can typically supply between 10 to 20 miles of charging per hour.

Some standard, EV-maker-supplied charging devices plug into a regular 120-volt household outlet (Level 1) and deliver power much more slowly than the Level 2 devices, typically in the range of about 3 miles of charging per hour. These Level 1 chargers are fine for most plug-in hybrids. PHEVs have smaller batteries than fully electric vehicles do. PHEVs have batteries of about 5 to 20 kilowatt-hours (kWh). Pure EVs are on the order of 60 kWh to 100 kWh.

Is the automaker-supplied charger enough for an EV? A rule of thumb to follow in determining if the standard charger is enough for your daily charging needs is: Can it fully recharge your EV’s battery overnight? If it can, you probably don’t need to buy another charger. Keep in mind, if the supplied charging device is a Level 2, 240-volt unit, then you’ll need to install a 240-volt outlet in your garage, or wherever you plan to charge the vehicle.

If you’ve determined that the supplied charger isn’t adequate for your daily charging needs, you’ll need to consider several factors to determine which EVSE is right for you.

• Cost: There are many different EV charging devices to choose from, with prices ranging from $200 to over $1,000.
• Plug-In or Hardwired: EV chargers are available in plug-in or hardwired options. Plug-in units offer the flexibility of easily removing the charger to use in another location, or perhaps return it for a replacement if there’s ever a problem. Hardwired chargers are permanently affixed to the garage wall and require an electrician to disconnect and remove them.
• Cable Length: EVSEs come with cables that can be as short as 12-feet and as long as 25-feet. Choose one that has a cable long enough to reach the charge port of your car in any position you park it. Get a cable at least 20-feet long.
• Smart or ‘Dumb:’ Smart EV chargers come with apps and allow the owner to do things like review charging sessions, monitor real-time charging, start/stop a charging session, schedule charging, set up reminders to plug in and more. Dumb chargers don’t have the ability to do anything but charge your EV, which is all that some EV owners want from their charger. Dumb chargers do stop when the battery is full.
• Power Delivery: You want your EV charger to be able to deliver at least 32-amps (7.7 kW) and ideally 40-amps (9.6 kW) to the vehicle. We recommend this because even if the EV you own today cannot accept that much power, most likely the next EV you get will, and you’ll future-proof your garage by getting the right charging device today.
• Safety-Certified with 3-Year Warranty: There is a wide array of EV charging equipment available today on the internet. Many of these products are low-quality, inexpensive units that are not safety-certified and have very short warranties. Make sure the EV charger you get has been safety certified by established entities like UL and ETL and has at least a 3-year warranty.

The Ford Mustang Mach-E comes with a 70 kWh or 91 kWh battery. With the larger battery, owners will probably need a 40-amp, 240-volt charger. Ford

Plug-in hybrids usually accept a lower amount of power than fully electric vehicles do. A typical PHEV can only accept up to 16-amps, and that’s fine because they have smaller batteries to recharge. However, EVs have large batteries, because they are entirely reliant on the battery for their driving range.

For home charging, EVs sold today can accept between 30 amps and 48 amps. Therefore, it’s important to know how much power your EV can accept when you shop. However, you shouldn’t necessarily let your current EV’s charging rate dictate your purchase, because your next EV may be able to accept more power.

With daily charging, EV owners are usually only topping off, rather than filling up. A common mistake that new EV owners make is buying the most powerful charger, only to later realize they could have managed just fine with a lower-powered, less expensive charger. You’ll rarely pull into your garage with an empty battery, so the time it takes to charge your EV from 0% to 100% shouldn’t be the primary consideration. You only need to replenish the amount of energy used that day.

Don’t rush to get the most powerful EV charger until you examine how many miles of range you’ll need to replenish daily. We’ve assembled the chart below to help you understand how many miles per hour of range you can replenish depending on the power output of your EV charger.

POWER DELIVERY (AMPS)	POWER DELIVERY (KW)	RANGE ADDED PER HOUR	60KWH BATTERY CHARGE TIME FROM 0%	100 KWH BATTERY CHARGE TIME FROM 0%
12-amps (120-volt)	1.4 kW	4-5 miles	43 hours	72 hours
16-amps (240-volt)	3.8 kW	11-15 miles	16 hours	26.5 hours
32-amps (240-volt)	7.7 kW	23-31 miles	8 hours	13 hours
40-amps (240-volt)	9.6 kW	29-38 miles	6.5 hours	10.5 hours
48-amps (240-volt)	11.5 kW	34-46 miles	5.5 hours	9 hours

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The table shows how fast common charger types recharge a medium EV battery (such as the Chevrolet Bolt EV ’s 65 kWh battery) and large EV battery (Tesla Model S is up to 100 kWh): How much power each charger type delivers in kilowatts, how much range is added per hour and the typical charge time from 0% charge. Look for a charger that gets the battery from empty to full overnight.

One thing to remember is that chargers that deliver 40 amps or less can be ordered as plug-in units, whereas chargers over 40 amps must be hardwired. There are a few EVs available today that can accept 48-amps, so you may be tempted to buy a 48-amp charger, but that will then require that you have the unit hardwired. It will also require lower gauge (thicker) wires, which may add considerable cost to the installation.

The additional 8-amps you get with a 48-amp charger may not be worth it, as a 40-amp unit will most likely fully charge your EV overnight anyway. We suggest that a 40-amp plug-in charger installed with a NEMA 14-50R outlet (don’t worry, the electrician will understand) may be the best balance of power and cost while still offering portability.

Finally, don’t worry that your chosen charger can deliver more power than your EV can accept. The car always dictates the amount of power it accepts. When you plug the charger into the vehicle, there’s a communication process between the charger and the car, and the car tells the charger the maximum power it can accept.

Once you’ve selected your charger you’ll need to install it. EV chargers draw a lot of power and must be installed on a dedicated circuit. According to the National Electrical Code (NEC), the circuit must be capable of delivering 125% of the power the charger will deliver. Therefore, if you buy a 32-amp charger, it needs to be installed on a 40-amp circuit (32 x 125% = 40). Likewise, a 40-amp charger requires a 50-amp dedicated circuit.

Hardwired units are mounted on the wall first, and then the wiring is run directly from the circuit breaker. Plug-in units are simply mounted to the wall near the 240-volt outlet, and then plugged in. Plug-in units are more popular because of the ease of installation and portability.

Regardless of the power level or if the unit needs to be hardwired or plugged in, always obtain the services of a licensed electrician to install your EV charging equipment. EV chargers deliver a lot of power for many continuous hours, typically every day. It’s important to make sure the work is done properly and up to code, so you don’t experience issues that could damage your car or your residence. This is more complex than a homeowner extending a 15-amp 120-volt outlet in the basement.

Finally, where you install the charging device also needs to be considered. You’ll want the cable to be able to reach the charge port of your EV even if you park the vehicle in a different spot than usual. Different EVs have different charge port locations, so your next EV may have a different place to plug in. You won’t want to have to move the charger if you get a different EV. For that reason, a central location in your garage is usually best.

Once you’ve installed your charger, you’ll want to make sure it remains in good working condition for many years of service. We’ve listed a few best-practice recommendations below:

• Coil the cable when not in use to prevent it from being driven over
• Holster the connector when not in use to prevent dirt and moisture from reaching the metal pins inside
• Unplug the unit during lightning storms
• For plug-in units, make sure the plug is secured completely into the outlet
• Never leave the connector lying on the floor

Some EV manufacturers recommend not charging the vehicle to 100% every day, in order to prolong the battery’s lifespan. If your EV has a recommended daily charge limit that’s less than 100% (often it’s 80% recommended), you should adjust the charge limit in the vehicle’s settings and only change it to 100% when you need the extra range for the occasional long road trip.

There’s no need to rush to unplug the charger once the vehicle finishes charging. Leaving the connector attached to the EV won’t hurt it. Once the vehicle reaches its desired charging level, it will stop charging and cut off the power. You can leave the charger plugged into the vehicle for as long as you’d like without any negative effects.

Teslas with proprietary charger plugs can use non-Tesla chargers with a Tesla-to-J1772 adapter and other EVs can use Tesla chargers with a J1772-to-Tesla adapter. Want to charge your Tesla at home? Get the Tesla-branded charger. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

All electric vehicles sold in North America use the same charging connector, called the J1772 or CCS, except for Teslas. Tesla uses a proprietary connector known as NACS—short for North American Charging Standard—that currently can only plug into Tesla cars. For that reason, Tesla includes an adapter with every car it sells called the J1172-to-Tesla adapter. This adapter allows Tesla vehicles to be charged from a J1772-equipped charging station. Our recommendation: If you drive a Tesla, buy the Tesla-branded Level 2 charger. The EVs no longer come with a home charger connector—you have to purchase it separately.

Conversely, there are chargers available that allow non-Tesla vehicles to charge from Tesla home chargers and Tesla Destination chargers. These adapters do not work on Tesla’s fast-charging Superchargers in public locations. However, almost all automakers selling EVs in the U.S. have announced moving to the Tesla standard, allowing those EVs to charge at Tesla Supercharger stations beginning in the near future. These new models will be equipped with NACS charging ports.

You may be able to save money on your electricity bill by switching to a time-of-use (TOU) electricity plan. In doing so, you’ll schedule your EV to charge during off-peak hours, when electricity costs less. Many EVs allow you to set a charging schedule within the vehicle settings, and smart-chargers also allow the user to establish a schedule for TOU electricity plans. Check with your electricity provider to see if a TOU plan will work for you.

Also, when shopping for your next EV, look for incentives on the purchase of a Level 2 charger. For example, Hyundai recently announced that buyers of certain new Hyundai EVs qualify for a free EV charger as well as credits toward installation.