How to Pick the Best EV Charger to Buy for My House in Australia. - Coastal Motor Advisory

Best EV Charger- As Australia’s population grows and more people move to bit here than ever before, more and more Australians are asking themselves could an EV charger really be useful. If you have signed up to become an electric car driver or are planning to do so shortly, you should want to charge your electric car at home for convenience and lower running cost in the longer term. There are so many EV chargers offered in the market, and this makes it quite hard when looking for the best EV charger for your Australian home.

In this blog post, Coastal Motor Advisory will walk you through the steps to picking an EV charger, types of chargers, where to install, and finally how to choose the one that best fits your home and lifestyle.

Types of EV Chargers: Let’s understand them.

Before we dive into comparing the different models of home EV chargers the types of chargers shouldn’t be compared are … EV chargers are generally categorized into three levels:

• Level 1 Charger: Most electric vehicles have this kind of charger plugged into a normal 240 volt power outlet. This is most likely the easiest to install, but as should be, it is also the least effective. A Level 1 charger is pretty darn slow — 24 hours or more to charge the car — and is ideal for those who don’t need to drive very far, or don’t mind sitting around for long stretches, waiting on a recharge.
• Level 2 Charger: This type of charger also goes by the name of Level 2 charger and is a 240 volts charger that can be able to supply you with higher amperage than what you would normally be given by the average outlet. It is much quicker than a standard charging method, which would take most electric cars 4 to 8 hours to charge fully, but it does require professional installation. As with moderate speed and ease of use, level 2 chargers are the most common type of chargers for home charging.
• Level 3 Charger (DC Fast Charger): The fastest, an EV can be fully charged in 30 minutes (some in 15 minutes) but level 3 chargers are typically used in public stations because they are expensive to install and require a lot of power. They are uncommon in the residential home.

The perfect charger for the average Australian home is a Level 2 charger as they are fast, can be charged at without the outrageous amount that a Level 3 charger requires and comes with the convenience of charging.

You have to figure out what your homes electrical capacity is.

Before having an EV charger installed it can help to figure out how much electrical capacity your house has. The standard for the power the Level 2 chargers draw depends on the model, but it’s been anywhere between 20A and 50A. This additional load could overload some of the older homes or certainly if you have other appliances or systems in use at the same time.

In this case, one should remember to have a professional electrician come to your home to see if the electrical system has all that is required to support a new EV charger, or if the electrical system needs to be upgraded. You may have to replace your electricity panel, or even install a separate circuit, sometimes, for the charger. They do increase the overall cost of installation, but they give you the surety that your house is ready for the EV charging.

A smart charger is better because it provides maximum convenience.

As the market for EVs ramps up, so does the technology in EV chargers. One of the most popular features of modern chargers is smart charging technology, which allows you to monitor and control your charging sessions remotely via a smartphone app. Smart chargers come with several benefits, including:

• Remote Start/Stop: You are also able to control your charging session whether or not to initiate or discontinue it from your phone.
• Scheduling: Do not go on to set your EV charging during peak electricity hours, otherwise you are spending a lot of money.
• Monitoring: Real time device to track energy used, state of charge of your battery.
• Integration with Solar Power: If you have installed solar panels at your house, some of them can work with solar powers.

This will help choose the right smart charger to make using an electric car more convenient because it gives its user the flexibility to decide when and at what rate it should be charged, and it also helps with reducing the energy charges.

Check Your Book to contact for Government Incentives and Rebates for your business.

Australia’s governments and state governments offer incentives as well as rebates for both the electrification of automobiles and installation of a home charging station. Rebates are supplied by some states for the acquisition and set up of EV chargers, which can reduce the outlay for home charging station considerably.

Take the households in Victoria for example, who are eligible for rebates of up to $3,000, and the like programs, are in all other States. Locating installation is important and once you do you will need to check what incentives exist in your region and find and apply for rebates or grants that may be available in your area before installing your EV charger.

But that’s not all, you have to take a look at Charging Speed and Range of an EV.

Of course, how far you can drive on a charge and how fast you can charge your ride are incredibly important when looking for the most suitable home EV charger. If EVs have some with larger battery packs that take a longer time to charge fully and some with smaller battery packs that can be charged quickly. If your car has a 300+ kilometers range, you should get a Level 2 charger because you don’t want to be charging your car while you are asleep.

If you’re a short distance driver who rarely drives long distances, you should be fine with a Level 1 charger; while a long distance driver will love a Level 2 charger as they’ll not have to spend all day charging in order to get to another place.

Plan for Future EVs

Even if you own only one electric car today, it’s still reasonable. If electric vehicles continue to dominate the market, you may even think about another one down the road for your home. Upon deciding on an EV charger to take home, opt for one which supports dual charging, or is easily upgradeable to this in the future (before installation if possible) or start preparing for home charging’s future.

The problem is that they need to be professionally installed.

Setting an EV charger is not something that many people can do themselves. This is so that you know you’re not placing yourself at risk and that you are also adhering to Australian guidelines, by having them only installed by a licensed electrician. A professional electrician not only can guarantee that they have installed the charger correctly but they can also advise you about the right charger to use for your home’s electrical system, and let you know if they’ll have to do any modifications to get it working correctly.

Conclusion: Finding the Best Electric Vehicle Charger for your Home

Understandably, they want to know the best EV charger for their house in Australia, assuming they should buy one in the first place. This allows you to select, based on your driving pattern, your home electricity consumption, future requirements, the EV charger you need so you always have a charge for your EV. With more people looking at electric vehicles in Australia, a home charging option is becoming an important consideration, and whether that’s a simple residential Level 1 charger, or a Level 2 smart wall box, of course something more advanced, I think it’s great to have an option that’s both convenient, flexible, and ultimately economical in the long term.

Check out our guide to servicing your EV