Choosing a home station
If you are planning to purchase an electric car, it’s time to think about installing a home EV charger as well. At Auto E, we can help you chose the right home station. Here, our general advice is to consider your current charging needs and think ahead.
Consider your current needs
To start with, your current charging needs determine the minimal requirements for a station. First of all, as any electric vehicle has got an AC charge port, an AC home charger is your right option. Then, think more about a station functionality. The most important factors to pay attention are as follows:
- What connector type is compatible with your EV? Typically, an electric vehicle requires either Type 1 or Type 2 connector.
- What charging speed is optimal for you? This depends on your EV battery charge power and your own preferences.
- How many cars shall the station feed at the same time?
To clarify, you cannot use a Type 1 connector if your EV has got a Type 2 port and vice versa. Moreover, you cannot top up your EV battery quicker than its input capacity is. However, if your EV battery charge power is, for example, 11 kWh, you can still use a cheaper 7kWh EV charger. In this case, a charging session will take much longer. At last, if you will feed two cars, having a unit with two charging ports is a more convenient option.
Think more and ahead
To end with, an EV station is not something to upgrade or replace easily and for free. First, you need to buy a device again. Second, you need to pay for its installation again. In other words, you can save a lot of money if thinking about your future needs when choosing a home station today.
For example, we recommend considering the following aspects:
- A Type 2 connector has got a large future potential and is already used in many electric vehicles. Therefore, if your current EV has got a Type 1 connector, choosing a station with both Type 1 and Type 2 connectors is the first wise idea.
- Though, currently, many electric cars have got no more than 11 kWh charge power, the general trend is increasing the EV range, EV battery capacity, and, thus charge power. Therefore, choosing a station of, for example, 22 kWh power output is the second wise idea.
- Even if you have just one EV now, a few years later you may need to buy one more electric car for your family. So, choosing a station with two or more charging power outputs is the third wise idea.
All such home stations we can offer at Auto E. Buy our home stations and enjoy the full coverage of your current and future charging needs.