How to Prepare Your Home for an Electric Vehicle: 5 Steps

As electric vehicles (EVs) become more popular, many Chapel Hill homeowners are looking into how to prepare their homes for an electric vehicle. One of the most essential steps is setting up an electric vehicle home charger, which allows you to charge your vehicle conveniently and efficiently at home. Whether you’ve recently purchased an EV or are considering one, it’s essential to understand what you’ll need to make sure your Raleigh home is ready for electric vehicle charging batteries. Follow this guide on how to prepare your home for an electric vehicle.

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

If you haven’t already done research on types of electric vehicle charging stations, now is a good time to start. As a refresher, most home car charging systems fall into Level 1 or Level 2. Here’s more information about electric vehicle charging batteries:

• Level 1 EV charging often takes days to fully charge an electric car.
• Level 2 EV charging often takes several hours to fully charge an electric car. You can often get between 60-200 miles of range in just 20-30 minutes with Level 2 DC charging, though. For this reason, most people intermix daytime “top-off” charging with overnight charging.

2. Ready Your Garage for an Electric Vehicle Home Charger

If you haven’t cleaned out or organized your garage, now is the time to do that before installing an electric vehicle home charger! Make sure that you get your garage ready for an EV before you take delivery. You may wish to clean out clutter first if your garage has been used as a storage space for a long time.

3. Find Your Power Panel & Assess Consumption

The power panel in your home distributes electricity throughout the entire building. It should be rated for a maximum amount of current flow measured in Amperes. Most new homes come with a 100 Amp power panel, but there should be an amperage rating printed on your main circuit breaker.

Next, you’ll want to get a handle on how much electrical energy you consistently use in your house by performing a self-assessment of your electricity use before you install an electric vehicle charging station system. You do not want to overload your electric distribution panel.

4. Hire an Electrician

Next, hire an electrician. You can discuss any concerns you have about your power consumption and adding EV charging. You can also have them install a dedicated 240-volt plug or add a hardwired circuit back to the power panel. Usually, this costs a couple hundred dollars, but could be up to $1,000 or $3,000 if it’s found that your power panel is not sufficient as-is and requires upgrading.

5. Buy Your Charger & Have it Installed

If you haven’t already researched and purchased an EV charger at this point, it would be the time to do so and have it professionally installed by the electrician of your choice.

Have Your Very Own Electric Vehicle Charging Station

By following these steps on how to prepare your home for an electric vehicle, you’ll be well on your way to creating a Cary home environment that’s ready for electric vehicle charging. Investing in a proper setup will not only make charging convenient but also ensure that your home is equipped to handle the demands of electric vehicle charging batteries safely and efficiently. Contact us today to learn more, or stop by Hendrick Cadillac Southpoint, in Durham.