A personal charge point for your home makes charging your electric vehicle faster, safer and more convenient. No more extension leads, worrying about plug connections outside or wondering whether you are overloading your home’s electrical supply.
As homeowners look for ways to reduce their carbon footprint, we are seeing a shift away from direct burning of fossil fuels by individuals. This is leading to two key trends – the all - electric home, and electrification of transport.
If you’re considering getting an electric car, then you’re going to need an electric car charging point at home. We expect to see the majority of electric car charging to be carried out at home, as it is most convenient, with smaller top-ups at workplace charge stations and public charging stations.
Integrating Solar PV with electric vehicle charge points
Driving an electric car that is charged by your solar panels is an excellent way to ensure your transportation is both cost-efficient and emissions-free.
Many EV owners think of the purchasing a solar system as pre-buying their fuel for the next few years – at a cost that is very quickly repaid.
With rising energy costs and the ever increasing prices of public charge points, it makes perfect sense to charge your vehicle at home for free. A typical 4kWp residential solar PV system will produce enough energy to power both your home and charge your electric car.
There are a number of things you will want to consider when choosing an EV charging point, which we explain below.
TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Tethered or untethered?
You will need to consider whether to get a tethered or an untethered charger. A tetheredEV home charger has the charging cable integrated into the charge point itself. By contrast, an untethered cable is loose at both ends and is usually stored within the boot of the car and can also be used for charging when out and about.
It’s really a matter of personal preference – would you find getting a cable out of the car every time you charge an inconvenience? If so, get a tethered charge point. But remember – you will need a cable in your car anyway for charging on the go.
Type 1 or Type 2
It is also important to ensure you have the right cable to fit your car.
The majority of car sockets are either Type 1 or Type 2. Type 1 is a 5 pin socket capable of charging single phase at 3.6 or 7 kW. Type 2 is a 7 pin socket and can be used to charge at 3.6, 7 or 22kW (3-phase). As part of the survey process we ask you to tell us what car you own, so we can make sure you get the right cable.
Wall-mounted or post mounted
All of our charge points can be mounted on the wall (in a garage, or discretely on the front of your house) or on a standalone post (perhaps on a driveway, for convenient charging). Once again, it’s a matter of personal preference – just let us know where you would like your charge point located.