Electric Vehicle Chargers For The Home

I think the first question most people ask (and certainly owners of plug in hybrid vehicles) is why do I need a charger? Most, if not all electric and plug-in hybrids are supplied with a charging unit that can be plugged into a domestic socket. For some this means having to trail extension leads out of garages or windows in order to charge your vehicle.

By fitting an electric vehicle charging point, you can site the unit near to where you park your vehicle and negate the need for having extension sockets trailing about. It is a much safer way of charging your car, reducing trip hazards and the potential issues caused by having plugs lying around in wet weather.

Another major reason for fitting an electric vehicle charging point is that they give you a faster charge than the one that is supplied with your vehicle. Typically a domestic electric charge point is 7Kw which means it will charge your car at a rate of approximately 15 miles range per hour, this is commonly called range per hour or RPH.

If you are in the fortunate position to have more power available on your electrical supply, you may well be able to put an 11Kw charger in. This will increase your charging capability to approximately 30 miles RPH.

Once you have decided to buy a charger you have to decide which is the right one for you! Obviously the power you have available will dictate what size charger you can have, if you want to use the OLEV grant scheme you need to make sure your charger is OLEV approved and if you want to use a solar array to charge your car then you need to make sure it is compatible.

There are now many electric vehicle chargers on the market so much of it will come down to what you want to have on the wall of your house. A nice neat basic charger is the EO Mini, this is the smallest charger available and comes in a variety of colours. At the other end of the scale there is the Andersen A1 charger which is available in a choice of colours and finishes and comes with a very neat cable storage facility. Both of these chargers are available for purchase via the Shop page as well as many more besides.

Remember that using an electric vehicle charge point is a quicker and safer way to charge your vehicle and with prices starting from £165 including OLEV grant, it doesn’t have to cost the earth.