An electric car charging point needs to be installed at a home or an office. This will allow the user to recharge a vehicle quicker and more efficiently. The effort to recharge is no less fussy than charging up a laptop or mobile phone.
Electric is the Future
A few decades ago, drivers would have laughed off the suggestion that everyone would be motoring around in battery operated cars. Many years ago, inventor and entrepreneur, Sir Clive Sinclair introduced the C5 electric vehicle. It was ridiculed and really didn’t take to the hearts of Britain’s road users. However, electric cars of today are as powerful and reliable as the petrol-driven vehicles, or so-called gas guzzlers of today are.
In fact, around 100,000 electric vehicles are regularly in use on the roads of Britain, with an adoption rate which should see that figure double in less than 18 months. The main driver of electric car use is the negative publicity that surrounds diesel engines and the emissions they produce.
Vehicle excise duty (on diesels and the fuel purchased) is always going up at a rate that is fast becoming unaffordable for many road users. This is another motivating factor behind road users wanting to invest in electric vehicles.
Can I Fit a Charging Point in My Home?
Depending on your electricity supply, installation is easy. There are a growing number of suppliers on the market and government subsidies are available for installations.
A normal single-phase electricity supply should be enough to allow you to install a 3.7kW charging point in the home or an office. That should be enough to fully charge the vehicle to full in about seven hours (or overnight). It is still feasible that a single-phase supply can handle a 7kW charger – that would fully charge the vehicle in a little over three hours.
Homes or buildings with a three-phase electricity supply can use the “supercharge” option on the point. This would bring a vehicle from flat to around 80 per cent charged in just 30 minutes.
To be certain that the home is not using too much electricity, a smart meter may need to be installed. Most electricity companies are rolling these out for free these days and users should contact their energy supplier to request installation.
There are many electric cars that have a built-in feature of a time clock. This means it can charge at off peak rates.
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