At home electric charger points

Getting To Know Your At Home Electric Charger Points

If you can wait until morning, charging your electric car from a standard 3-pin electrical wall socket is possible, allowing you to top up your range overnight at home.

But as the battery capacity of the top electric car models on the market continues to grow, charging from an ordinary plug socket will take longer and longer, making at-home electric charger points a much more preferable alternative.

At-home chargepoints support much higher power output, which makes for faster charging. While they’re not as powerful as public charging stations, they don’t need to be, as you’re usually at home for longer than a quick on-the-road top-up.

Let’s look at some key characteristics of at-home electric charger points, so you have a better idea of what you’ll be plugging into.

Types Of At-Home Electric Charger Points

When plugging into an at-home electric charger point, there are two main types: Type 1 and Type 2.

TYPE 1 Home Chargepoint

Type 1 chargers have five pins and work on a single-phase power supply (more about this below). They’re the earlier design and support power ratings up to about 7 kW.

TYPE 2 Home Chargepoint

Type 2 chargers are the more recent introduction. They have seven pins, are compatible with three-phase power supplies, and can support up to 22 kW.

Most of the top electric car models in Europe support Type 2 charging, and especially if you lease an electric car for personal or business use, it’s increasingly likely that you will find newer models equipped with a Type 2 charging port.

Tethered Or Untethered?

An important factor in home chargepoint design is tethered vs. untethered chargers. This relates to whether or not the charger has a built-in charging cable or a (typically Type 2) socket that your car’s charging cable connects to.

Tethered Charging Points

A tethered charging point has a built-in cable with a Type 1 or Type 2 connector on the end. You don’t need a charging cable of your own.

This is more convenient in principle, but it means the charger will only support either Type 1 or Type 2 vehicles, but not both.

Untethered Charging Points

On an untethered charging point, a high-power socket connects your car’s charger, so you’ll need to have your vehicle’s charging cable handy.

Because you can use your own cable, untethered chargers are more widely compatible, so you should be able to charge most Type 1 and Type 2 vehicles from them, providing you have the right cable.

Are Home Chargepoints Single-Phase Or Three-Phase?

Most domestic power supplies are single-phase. If, for any reason, you have a three-phase power supply (e.g. if you live in former business premises), it may be possible to install a three-phase chargepoint.

The difference is quite technical:

• Single-phase uses a single alternating current supplied via a single wire
• Three-phase uses three AC supplies at regular intervals, on three wires

Charging is faster via a three-phase supply because as one AC signal falls, the next rises, ensuring a higher and more constant power supply than a single AC wave.

However, most domestic properties only have a single-phase mains supply. If you want to install a three-phase chargepoint at home, you may need special permission from your local council to upgrade your electricity supply.

What About Aesthetics?

Your at-home electric charger point will need to be in an easily accessible position, usually on an exterior wall of your property (although it may be possible to install a domestic EV charger out of sight in a garage).

If your home charging point is in plain sight, you might be worried about the aesthetic impact on your home. There are several reasons why you don’t need to worry too much:

• Untethered chargers are much more compact as there’s no bulky built-in cable to store.
• Modern charging points are remarkably sleek and slimline, with minimal visual impact on an exterior wall.
• Chargers can be boxed in and disguised, with some designer chargers available that mimic the brick or stone surface of your home.

Together, this reduces any unwanted effects of installing a home charging point. As we move towards an all-electric future, you might find that an easily recognisable EV charger adds kerb appeal to your property when you want to sell it.

EV Charging Times At Home

Let’s talk about those all-important at-home EV charging speeds. Remember, it depends largely on the power rating of your chargepoint, which you’ll see reflected in the charging times listed below.

Some other factors can affect EV charging times, including your vehicle model, the condition of your charging cable, and even the ambient air temperature, so these are just a guide.

For the sake of comparison, we’ll assume the vehicle has a 75 kWh battery. If your battery is smaller, charging will be faster. Equally, if your battery is bigger, it will take longer to reach full charge.

75 kWh at 3.7 kW: 20 hours
75 kWh at 7.4 kW: 10 hours
75 kWh at 22 kW: 3.4 hours

Remember, for a 22 kW charger, you’ll need a three-phase power supply, which is relatively rare in UK homes.

Calculate Your Own Charging Times

The maths to work out your EV charging times is easy. Divide your battery’s maximum capacity (e.g. 75 kWh) by the power rating of the chargepoint (e.g. 7.4 kW) to get your total charging time in hours.

In reality, you’re unlikely to charge your vehicle for this maximum amount of time, as it would require a completely flat battery to be charged from 0% to 100%.

You’re much more likely to start charging from around 10-20% and stop at about 80%, meaning your charging time is about two-thirds of the maximum.

Final Thoughts

At-home EV chargepoints may be slower than ultra-rapid public charging stations. Still, they allow you to refuel your vehicle on your driveway, ready for your morning commute — something that’s practically impossible with a petrol or diesel engine.

The wider compatibility of untethered chargers means you’re less likely to face problems plugging in a newer model, and designer charging points can blend in with the existing facade of your home.

Overall, this gives you greater freedom to refuel at your own convenience — ideal if your car has enough range for a normal day’s driving, so you never need to stop at a charging station along the way.