Cost of charging car at home depends on driving habits.
Nov 29, 2010 |
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NEW YORK — Getting your home ready to charge an electric car will require little time or money — or a couple of 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 eight 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.
Whether you go for a charging station or not, carmakers and utilities want your home checked out to make sure the wiring in your house and in your neighborhood can handle the extra load.
Contact Brad