With Electric Vehicle (EV) registrations reaching record highs last month according to The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) the need to have a convenient home EV charger that’s cost effective is becoming more important.
SMMT reported the uptake of Hybrid Electric Vehicles has risen by 19.6% to 44,550 units and 14.0% of the market in March, while the biggest percentage growth was recorded by Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles, up by more than a third to 24,517 units, or 7.7% of all new registrations. Battery Electric Vehicle registration volumes were also at their highest ever recorded levels last month.
In this guide you’ll learn about EV chargers from basic functionality to installation and cost considerations and see the answers to some frequently asked questions.
If you’re a UK-based business looking for assistance with your electric fleet, get in touch with us today.
Benefits of Home Charging
There are many benefits of a home EV charger instead of relying on the current EV charging station infrastructure, these include:
- Reducing range anxiety as the vehicle can be fully charged before starting any journey from home.
- A home EV charger can cost significantly less* than a rapid electric car charging point.
- Flexibility to charge off-peak when energy prices are lower, or charge on demand.
- Lower carbon footprint if charged with renewable energy sources.
*Comparing a like for like charging cost, and not taking into account the initial home charger installation.
Convenience
Even though range anxiety might have been taken over by charging anxiety, the fear of running out of charge still exists.
With a home car charger, your employee drivers can set off from home each morning with 100% battery charge, ready for their day ahead. To ensure a full battery, your employees should also use pre-conditioning if possible, which is a feature of EVs that allows drivers to set the temperature of the car and battery ready for their journey start time. While this does use energy, if the car is still connected to the EV charger, then the preparation will take place in good time, and the battery life will be restored to 100% or as close as it can get depending on the battery size and charger speed.
Cost Effectiveness
The Winter 2023 All Costs report by fuel card company, Allstar states that public charging, in some cases can cost 20 times more than home charging – this is based on the huge variances in tariffs for any EV chargepoint.
Looking at the averages the report presented, the cost per kW at home is 28p versus 80p at a public EV chargepoint.
Additionally, according to the Alan Jones Company Car Report 2023, 18% of companies pay for the installation of an electric charging point at their employee’s home and 50% of those companies install fast chargers.
With all this in mind, if you’re a business already making the switch to electric for your employee car benefits or you’re considering it, factoring in providing home chargers or offering a contribution towards installation could help increase the uptake of EVs from employees, help you achieve your environmental goals and improve employee retention rates.
Control Overcharging
EV energy tariffs are starting to return to the market, after they disappeared in the height of the energy crisis. Although energy prices still remain high, a lot of providers are now offering two-rate tariffs, which has peak and off-peak pricing. It’s worth checking with the energy provider and informing your employees to see if there is a suitable tariff available. If an appropriate tariff is available and your fleet cars were charged overnight when the tariff is lower, you and your drivers could save more on EV charging.
Environmental Benefits
It’s possible to use renewable energy to charge your EV fleet and this could help to reduce your carbon footprint. Ways to use renewable energy include:
- Using solar, wind or hydropower to generate your own electricity.
- Utilise a green energy tariff, which is when the energy supplied is fully or partly renewable, and charging when green energy is more available – and cheaper.
- Driving more efficiently so you use less electricity.
How Does Home Charging Work?
A home EV charger has a dedicated connection to the electric meter box, which means the car charges with a high and efficient power supply and protects against overloading the electrical circuit.
Typical charger types include 3.6kWh, 7kWh and 22kWh. The higher the power output, the quicker the charging speed. However, each car model comes with specific recommendations for charging, including the type of charger to use, charging duration, and maintenance tips, and these should be followed to protect the vehicle warranty and your drivers’ safety.
Other safety features of a dedicated home EV charger include:
- Specially designed to carry high power loads.
- Weatherproof, durable and impact-proof.
- Protective software for full control and monitoring charging.
How to Choose the Right Home Charger
When it comes to your employees choosing the right home charger, there are four main things to consider:
What is the budget?
The cost of a home EV charger and the installation fee can cost anywhere from £600 – £1,000, the price will vary dependent on which product is chosen and who installs it. Grants are available for help with these costs, see our FAQs for more information.
Tethered or untethered charger
Dependent on the need or preference, your employees will have to decide if they want a tethered or untethered charger – essentially whether there will be a cable permanently attached to the charger or not. Some companies are now manufacturing chargepoints that are untethered as standard but can be operated as a tethered home charging point by locking the cable into place.
How the charger looks
Since its likely to be visible, your drivers might want the charger to match the aesthetics of their home exterior. EV chargers come in different shapes and sizes, so they should have plenty of options to choose from.
Unique features
These could include customisation of the EV charger, integration of specific energy tariffs (possibly green energy), pre-conditioning functionality or even solar charging if the home is fitted with solar panels used to generate electricity.
Power Output
Charger outputs for EVs come at 3.6kWh, 7kWh and 22kWh as standard for slow and fast charging, and anything 50kWh and above is classed as rapid charging.
Any power output has the ability to charge multiple vehicle battery capacities, but it’s the combination which can impact the charging speed. For example, a 3.6kWh EV charger has the lowest charging speed so of all the battery sizes it could charge, it will charge the lowest battery capacity quickest. If your drivers have a higher battery capacity and want a quicker charging time, then it’s best to increase the charging cable to 7kWh or 22kWh.
Tethered vs. Untethered Chargers
A tethered EV charger is when the charging cable is permanently attached to the EV charger unit. With this option, your drivers will also need to ensure the cable matches the EVs plug socket – there are multiple types. See the compatibility section below for more details.
The advantage of a tethered EV charger is your employees will always have a cable to charge the vehicle – no need to remember to pack it for every journey. It’s more secure being part of a single unit and it should be included with the car, rather than having to pay for a cable separately. However, the downsides are, they might be restricted by cable lengths and connector types, which could cause problems for public charging.
For an untethered EV home charger there’s no cable permanently attached to the unit itself – it simply has a socket. This means the cable needs to be plugged into both the home charger and the vehicle. On a positive note, an untethered charger is compatible with all connector types and your employees can choose a cable length that suits their needs. The disadvantages include your drivers having to source and pay for a cable, and it could be considered less secure, dependent on where it’s stored.
Smart Charger Features
Smart chargers optimise the charging process based on preferences your drivers set, as well as taking into account electricity pricing, the best time of day to charge and your battery level.
Your employees can set their preferences in the smart charger app on their phone or laptop, and then the smart charger will intuitively charge the car based on the credentials set.
Compatibility
It’s important to ensure the EV charger and plug type are compatible for your EV fleet, and to do that you need to consider the charging type and the vehicle inlet port.
Rapid EV chargers with a minimum 50kWh output use CHAdeMO, CCS or Type 2 connectors. Whereas fast and slow chargers, typically up to 22kWh, use Type 1 or Type 2 connectors.
For vehicle inlets, European EV models often have Type 2 or CCS inlets, while Asian manufacturers prefer a Type 1 and CHAdeMO inlet combination.
Most EVs are supplied with two cables for slow and fast charging – one with a Type 2 connector charger-side and the other with a three-pin plug, both come with compatible connectors for the inlet ports, which should ensure compatibility with EV charger and plug type.
Installation and Cost Considerations
Home EV chargers should be installed by a certified electrician specialising in EV charger installations. This will ensure the installation is safe, is in line with local regulations and that the EV chargers meets all the requirements. A qualified engineer should be able to complete the installation in a few hours.
If more work is required, such as upgrading the electrical system to accommodate the EV charger, the process could take a little longer.
The average cost of installing an electric car charger is between £600 – £1,000, which should cover the EV charger itself and the labour costs. There are some Government grants available for home EV chargers though.
Some employees can get 75% off the cost to buy and install a socket, up to a maximum of £350, providing they have an eligible vehicle and have off-street on assigned on-street parking. View a list of vehicles eligible for OZEV residential chargepoint grants.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to charge an electric car at home?
According to Allstars’ Winter 2023 report, All Costs, a 70kWh battery would typically cost £19.60 to fully charge at the average cost of 28p per kWh. This is based on data collected from July – December 2023. It should be noted there are huge variances in domestic pricing and it’s likely that will be the case for some time.
How long does it take to charge an electric car at home?
The most common home EV chargers are 7kW, which are twice as fast as a domestic socket and will give your drivers 30 miles of charge per hour on average – 4-6 hours in total. For a 3.6kW charger, the car will receive approximately 15 miles of charge per hour – 7-8 hours in total. A fast 22kW charger will naturally charge an EV faster – a full charge can be achieved in under two hours – however, not all EVs can use fast chargers, so it’s best to check in the manufacturer handbook first.
The time it takes to charge an electric car depends on the size of the battery and the power output of the charger. Use the calculation below to find out how long it will take to charge your EV fleet.
Battery size (kWh) ÷ Charger power (kW) = Charging time (hours)
Can I charge my electric car with a regular outlet?
Most EVs are delivered with a standard three-pin plug that can be used in a domestic plug socket, but most manufacturers advise only using these in emergency situations.
How many kWh to charge a car?
Using a 7kW home EV charger will use 14.8kWh on average for a full charge. For a 3.6kWh EV charger, the car will use 29.6kW. The size of the battery could impact the amount of kWh, considering battery capacities now range between 20kWh and 100kWh, however, the average and most common battery capacity is 40-60kWh.
Fast chargers for home installation usually deliver 22kW of power, which equal 4.9kWh for a full charge, however, not all EVs can use fast chargers, so it’s best to check in the manufacturer handbook first.
Are there any Government grants available for home charger installation?
Under its Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme, grants are available from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) but there’s certain eligibility criteria. If your drivers own and live in a flat or rent any residential property, which has its own private off-street parking space, your employees can get 75% off the cost to buy and install a socket, up to a maximum of £350, providing they have an eligible vehicle. View a list of vehicles eligible for OZEV residential chargepoint grants.
The same grant is available for any of your employees who own or rent a residential property with assigned on-street parking. Again, they will need to own an eligible vehicle and have permission from local planning and highways authorities to install a cross-pavement charging solution between their home and the approved parking space.
If you have a small to medium business, grants are available for installing multiple EV chargepoint sockets. The grant covers 75% of the cost of the work, up to a maximum of £15,000 and you can get up to five grants but they must be across five different sites. This could be a beneficial enhancement in addition to home charging for your employees.
Are there different types of EV charging connectors?
Yes, EVs either have a Type 1 or Type 2 socket for slow/fast charging and CHAdeMO or CCS for DC rapid charging. In terms of public charging slow/fast chargepoints most often have a Type 2 socket and for rapid EV chargepoints, there’s usually both CHAdeMO and a CCS connector cable.
Take Charge of Your Fleet with CBS
If EVs are part of your fleet now, or you’re planning your transition to electric, don’t overlook the importance of EV home charging. It can offer you and your drivers so much more convenience for charging, as well as providing cost and environmental benefits.
If you’re looking for help to manage your fleet solution, click here to see how we can help your Business Fleets or get in touch with us today.