Getting your home ready to charge an electric car will require little time or money ?a or a couple months and thousands of dollars.It depends on what kind of electric car you buy, the wiring in your home and how quickly you want to juice your ride.Electric cars are powered by batteries that are charged by plugging them into a standard wall socket or a more powerful charging station. The charging station will cut your charging time roughly in half, and reduce the chance you’ll trip a circuit in your home. But it will likely cost $2,000 or more, including installation. The price will rise if you need a new electrical panel, which could add another $2,000.
The main thing to consider is how you are going to use your electric car.
If your commute is short, or there’s a charging station near your office, you might not need much of a charge at home. You can get away with topping off your battery overnight.
A standard 120-volt wall socket will give a car about five miles of driving for every hour of charging. That means if you had a 40 mile round-trip commute you’d be able to charge in 8 hours.
If you deplete your battery all the way most days, a charging station that is connected to a 240-volt socket, like ones used for most electric dryers, could be worthwhile.
The $41,000 Chevrolet Volt and the $33,000 Nissan Leaf are set to go on sale next month. Buyers qualify for a federal tax credit of $7,500 and additional state and local subsidies in some states.
How to Prep Your home for an Electric Car
Getting your home ready to charge an electric car will require little time or money ?a or a couple months and thousands of dollars.
It depends on what kind of electric car you buy, the wiring in your home and how quickly you want to juice your ride.Electric cars are powered by batteries that are charged by plugging them into a standard wall socket or a more powerful charging station. The charging station will cut your charging time roughly in half, and reduce the chance you’ll trip a circuit in your home. But it will likely cost $2,000 or more, including installation. The price will rise if you need a new electrical panel, which could add another $2,000.
The main thing to consider is how you are going to use your electric car.
If your commute is short, or there’s a charging station near your office, you might not need much of a charge at home. You can get away with topping off your battery overnight.
A standard 120-volt wall socket will give a car about five miles of driving for every hour of charging. That means if you had a 40 mile round-trip commute you’d be able to charge in 8 hours.
If you deplete your battery all the way most days, a charging station that is connected to a 240-volt socket, like ones used for most electric dryers, could be worthwhile.
The $41,000 Chevrolet Volt and the $33,000 Nissan Leaf are set to go on sale next month. Buyers qualify for a federal tax credit of $7,500 and additional state and local subsidies in some states.
Comments are closed.