Jan 31,2024
The rise of electric vehicles has begun, and shortly, we can expect to enter a new age dominated by clean energy. Electric vehicles, or EVs, can potentially revolutionize the automotive industry and how we think of traditional cars. Owning an EV comes with numerous benefits apart from eco-friendliness. Not only do they perform better than conventional automobiles in terms of handling and acceleration, but most EV brands have cutting-edge features. Luxury features are a standard in electric vehicles. One great convenience that cannot be overlooked is EV charging, which has truly redefined what it means to fuel your car.
Now you must plug your car into your cellphone and charge it at home. Although there are EV charging stations just like gas stations, what makes charging EVs convenient is that they can be plugged in at home in the evening and charged throughout the night, so you wake up to a full battery. Isn’t it just brilliant? There is no hassle lining up at the petrol station to fill your car’s fuel tank. Neither do you have to worry about a fuel shortage, and once you add up the savings on the budget, you can see why life is more accessible for an electric vehicle owner.
Charging your car sounds fantastic, but choosing the right type of EV charger module is essential. There are numerous EV charger modules available in the market that countless brands offer, so making a decision is not easy, and this is not helped by the fact that this is a new technology that many people don’t know about. Buying the wrong charger can overcharge your car battery and shorten battery usage life. Following are some must-have features that an EV charger should have
Buy an EV charger with a cable length of more than 20 feet. A longer cable means more options for plugging your vehicle in different positions. A longer charging cable means parking your car in the garage while charging is unnecessary. If your office has a charging port, the vehicle can be plugged in even if parked far from the charging station. What makes a long cord particularly useful is that it can be easily connected regardless of where the socket is on the car.
Although most EV charging modules are not required to be connected to wi-fi, some tech-savvy EV owners want to know and have data about each charging session to understand how much electricity is utilized. Smart EV chargers connect with the wi-fi and display data about each charging session. These chargers track the electricity used and calculate the cost of each charging session. These intelligent chargers also have handy features like setting a scheduled charging time. This feature is convenient if you want to save on power bills by charging the car during off-peak hours. You can set the charging time. The charging module will only activate during the designated time and remain off even if plugged in, turning on only at the set time by the user.
Don’t even think of purchasing an inferior-quality charger, as such charging modules can use up more electricity, which will make your power bill shoot up or cause a house fire due to a faulty connection. Don’t compromise your safety for a cheaper price. Top quality EV chargers bear a quality certification by a trusted safety regulatory company such as Intertek (ETL) or Underwriters Laboratories (UL). So always buy from a reliable EV charger module manufacturer that makes charging modules according to the regulatory requirements.
The output current of an EV charging module is denoted by kilowatts. More power is better and would charge the car faster, but that is not true with EV cars. Too much energy can be harmful to the car’s internal battery. More on this later.
Well, the amount needed to charge depends on the size of the EV. A medium-sized SUV will need 9.6 kilowatts of power that can increase mileage by 29 miles per hour. For larger pickup trucks, that current rating is higher at 11.5 kilowatts. For the record, a standard 9.6-kilowatt charge is 40 amperes and delivers 240 volts. For home charging, charging speed is not a very significant factor. Most EVs need 8 to 12 hours to charge fully at the power rating stated previously. This can easily be achieved during an overnight charge.
Moreover, most EV owners do not need to charge from scratch daily. A total capacity is not necessary either. An 80% charge is sufficient for daily commutes, and the battery only gets depleted to 30% for daily routine tasks. So charging a battery from 30 to 80% is enough and prolongs a battery usage life. A full charge will only be needed if you plan long trips.
Installing a home charging station for EV charging can be expensive, but you should remember the immense benefits of home charging your vehicle. A typical installation job can cost anywhere from $1150 to $2750 to buy and install an EV charging module. A high-quality charger is worth between $350 to $750. Installation expense figures are $800 RO $2000, according to a top national EV charging specialist installer, QMerit. The rates for installation are not the same for everybody. Labor cost varies from area to area. The power rating of the charger plays a role in installation costs. A significant factor that inflates the installation bill is the distance of the charging module from the electrical panel. In exceptional cases, the bill can become hefty if the home has an obsolete electrical panel or the panel cannot accommodate a new 240-volt circuit. Fitting a larger panel adds a couple of thousand dollars to the installation bill.