Charge your EV at home with free Solar energy for even bigger savings

If you are thinking of buying an electric vehicle (EV), it’s important to know how you’ll be charging your car’s batteries. In fact, this is probably the first question you need to ask before considering a purchase.

Sure, there are great benefits to owning a vehicle that is environmentally friendly. Aside from playing your role in reducing the global carbon footprint, you’ll also be saving money by freeing yourself from the need to fill up regularly with gas. However, you need to remember that while a visit to the gas pump takes only a few minutes, fully charging the large batteries in your EV could take hours and hours! If getting a sufficient charge into those batteries each time is going to take that long, will it be worth your while going the EV route? Let’s see why the answer to that question is a resounding “yes”. We’ll show you that it definitely is worth it, and that it can be achieved easily and conveniently.

What is the primary purpose of my EV vehicle?

Remember, you need to take into account what the primary purpose of your EV vehicle is going to be. If it’s just for local shopping or school runs, you may be able to manage with the standard, but slow, Level 1 charger that’s built into your car. But for most Americans that very likely won’t be enough. For anything more than the shortest of daily runs, the multiple advantages obtained from a Level 2 unit will quickly pay off in cost and convenience. In addition, if you need your vehicle for work, or live in an outlying area where public charging stations are not commonly found, you’ll be at a big disadvantage without a home charging station.

How the different EV chargers work

Level 1 chargers

Your brand-new electric vehicle will come standard with what’s known as a Level 1 charging unit. This is simply employs a cable which can be plugged straight from the EV into a normal household electric outlet. Plug it in and your standard 120-volt household supply will start charging your car’s battery.

This sounds easy and is very convenient, as it doesn’t require any additional installation. While it does work straight out of the box, the problem is that it is very slow. Fortunately, there is an answer: upgrade to a Level 2 charger.

Level 2 chargers

You can dramatically speed up charging time by purchasing an aftermarket Level 2 charger in place of the Level 1 unit that came standard with your vehicle.

Some pros and cons

Most electric vehicle owners will typically find themselves wanting to make the move to the faster charger. So why not simply go online and buy one straight out? Let’s have a look at the issues you need to first take into account before deciding.

As explained above, the Level 1 charger that came with your EV, works on standard 120-volt household current. Level 2 chargers, on the other hand, require a higher-power 240-volt supply. Because these are not commonly found in most American homes, it will require professional installation of a dedicated 240-volt outlet, and that costs money. So, let’s consider the pros and cons and see what makes the most sense for you.

The main differences between chargers

Probably the main issue is the time involved in charging. But is this really important enough to justify a change? If you are mainly using your vehicle for short trips around town, a Level 1 charger may be quite sufficient. However, this won’t work as well if you are regularly driving longer distances and don’t have time to recharge your EV during the day.

If you are one of the fortunate ones that has dedicated charging stations at your workplace, it may be possible to do your main charging while at work. The likelihood though is that this option may not readily be available to you. Remember also that even if you are one of the lucky ones, there will be others also wanting to make use of the charging station. That may make it very inconvenient, and even problematic should you urgently need to charge your battery to get to a meeting, or even to get home.

Simply plug in when you get home

Having a suitable charger at home then is the ideal, because that’s where you are going to be doing most of your charging. Simply plug in when you come home in the evening, and let it charge overnight while you’re asleep. However, this may still not be enough to do it, especially if you are dependent on the Level 1 charger that came with your EV. Like most EV owners you will want to know what your other options are.

Comparing Level 1 and 2 Charger Units

What installation is involved?

Because Level 1 chargers are simply plugged straight into your standard home outlet, they require no additional installation at all. This makes them inexpensive, simple to operate, and economical, as no additional cost or special knowledge is required to use them.

Level 2 units on, on the other hand, require requires proper installation and it’s unlikely that you would consider attempting that job yourself. So, you’ll have to book a qualified electrician to do it for you, and as we’ll see, this doesn’t come all that cheap.

How much will a new Level 2-unit cost?

A Level 2 charging station typically costs on average between $300 to $1,200. Add to this the cost of a professional installer, and you are looking at around another $400 – $800 for installation costs.

But remember that charging your car is going to be a lot faster than with a Level 1 charger, and that’s what could definitely swing it in favor of the faster unit.

Charging times compared

A level 1 charger will typically deliver around 1.4kw which will get you around 4 miles of driving distance per hour of charge.

A Level 2 charger, on the other hand, will deliver upward of 7kw which translates into a whopping 32 miles of driving range per hour. A factor of around 8x as much!

Let’s take a simple example to see how this works out in practice. Assuming your car is equipped with a battery providing 100 miles of travel, it would take a level 1 charger over 24 hours to fully charge your vehicle. That’s while plugged into your standard 120-volt home outlet. So, if you plug in at 7 p.m. you’ll still only have a half-charged EV by next morning!

With a Level 2 charger, the picture is completely different. The same car would require only 4+ hours to full charge. This means that you will have a full battery by the next morning, even if you can only plug in late at night.

In truth it’s a no-brainer

Most EV owners will quickly find that they want a faster charge. The answer is to upgrade to a Level 2 charging station soon after buying their electric car.

Whether you will be charging at night or perhaps even during the day, having a Level 2 unit at home is a no-brainer, because that’s where you are going to be doing the majority of your charging.

Additional benefits charging your EV at home

After paying so much cash for your electric vehicle, you may not be keen to hand over even more to install a Level 2 home charger. After all, no one considers installing a gas pump in their drive. But the benefits are massive, and they far outweigh the cons. Here are some of the reasons why it is a great move.

It’s so convenient

As most electric vehicle owners quickly realize, the best place to charge your EV is your own home. Drive into the garage, get out of your vehicle and simply plug it in. It’s great walking in the door knowing that you’ll be able to drive out tomorrow with a full battery. If you get home and forget to do it, you won’t quickly forget again!

You are in control

If you have to rely on a public charger or even one at work, there’s no guarantee you’ll find one unoccupied where and when you need it. With an important meeting scheduled and half an hour still to drive, it’s no joke having to queue up behind other drivers at the only public charging station in the area. We all know what it’s like driving a standard car with the gas empty signal beeping. With a low battery it can be a real problem.

Safe and secure

Your personal safety is another reason why you want to be able to charge at home. A deserted public charging station, especially at night, can be a potentially dangerous place. Unsavory individuals often target these areas and could pose a risk to you and your vehicle.  At home, you can charge in safety, and you don’t have to worry about bad weather either! And the truly great benefit is that while the car is charging you can be doing other things without having to even give it a thought.

There’s even more

When you charge at home, you are paying your standard electricity utility rates. This means you are avoiding the more expensive rates public charging stations must levy to cover their overheads.

In addition, you can avail yourself of special deals that are now available for homes with electric vehicles. Your own tariff probably has off-peak periods when you can schedule charging at cheaper rates.

We’ll tell you at the end of this article how you can do even better by going the clean, green, solar route by installing rooftop PV solar panels to charge your EV and your home. The savings are massive!

Keeping your charger healthy

The Level 3 commercial chargers installed in some public charging stations may be fast, but they may not be kind to your battery. The extra heat generated from some of these units could degrade your battery over time, something you want to avoid.

Buying a good quality home charging station from a reputable re-seller guarantees that you will have peace of mind for many years to come. Make sure to install a fully compatible unit and you will be able to replace your EV with another make or model, or even add another one for family members without changing your home charging station.

Enhancing the value of your property

Realtors will tell you that prospective home purchasers love properties that have pre-installed home chargers. You’ll be able to sell or rent out your home ahead of your neighbors if you have one, and you’ll add to the value of the whole neighborhood.

Incentives available

You may be able to benefit from local, state, or federal tax incentives or rebates if you install a home charging station. These are aimed at encouraging the adoption of cleaner environmentally friendly energy. Depending on where you live you may qualify for a big saving off your outlay.

Massive savings if you go Solar with your EV

Do you have an Electrical Vehicle…or are you perhaps thinking about getting one someday? Wouldn’t it be nice to use the power of the sun to charge your EV car or truck from the convenience and safety of your own home?

Powering your EV at home with your home roof top solar array will not only save you hundreds and possibly thousands of $ annually from the high cost of gasoline but will also eliminate your need to ever visit a gas station again!

Not to mention you will be doing your part to help reduce vehicle emissions and create a safer and more healthy future for the environment and our planet.

Making use of the most advanced technology

Renewable Energy Corporation offers a variation of the most advanced technology Level 2 Electric Vehicle chargers. They are up to nine times faster than conventional chargers, so you spend less time waiting at home or in line at an outside public charging station.

With intelligent Wi-Fi control, your will be able to monitor your charging status via a smartphone app, Amazon, Alexa, or Google Home.

Best of all there are incentives available to assist with the cost of both product and installation.

Renewable Energy is only able to offer EV charging options in accompaniment with their solar or battery back-up packages due to the high demand of time and service offered.

Step into the future with Renewable Energy and let your solar array take care of your current and future cost of transportation.