A Charging station for your electric car (also called EV Charger) is essential if you drive that type of vehicle. Tesla and the BMW i8/i3 are two premium electric cars that are ahead of the game but ever so slowly more manufacturers are turning green and moving to full electric.
The best home Electric Car Charger we found is the ChargePoint EV Station that has unique features such as WiFi, indication lighting, sleek design and more.
Installing a home electric car Charger will charge your car 2.5 times faster than a regular plug and its also much safer. Even compared with some public charging station, the home chargers can be more powerful where a 16 or 32 amp EV charger can charge fully in 3.5 hours.
Best Electric Vehicle Charger For Home Use
| Electric Car Charger | Amperage | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|
| ChargePoint | 32 | 11.2 x 7 inches |
| Siemens VC30GRYU | 30 | 16.5 x 16.5 inches |
| Bosch Power Max | 30 | 16 x 14 inches |
| JuiceBox Pro 40 | 40 | 10 x 6 inches |
| AeroVironment TurboCord | 16 | N/A |
Over the years we have been taught that electric cars are the future but the technology is still in its early days. However, over the past year or so, the movements towards reliable charging have been improved massively.
Charging stations for home use have become more powerful, which means charging times has been reduced. The design of the home electric car chargers have also been tweaked so that they look good on your driveway/garage.
After assessing a range of EV Chargers available, below are the best home electric car chargers you can buy for the money.
ChargePoint Home Electric Vehicle Charger
The ChargePoint is a popular EV Charger that is by far the best looking unit you can buy. It is also clever with an integrated WiFi that connects to your smartphone to provide real time information on the charge of your vehicle.
The ability to check the state of the charge from your finger tips is a huge benefit. You can easily check that the car is connected to the EV charger and what percentage of charge it has attained whilst being hooked up.
Using the ChargePoint App, you can even schedule the charging to a certain time that can save you money on electricity chargers. The application also allows you to set reminders to charge your car, which is very useful for people that forget.
The ChargePoint home electric car charger also comes in two forms, hardwired and plug-in where the two have different benefits. The main difference is that a hardwired version can be used both indoors and outdoors. There is a 3 year warranty on parts from ChargePoint that will give you piece of mind.
The low key grey color to the unit will work well on most driveways or garages. It is very compact with a sleek design that is 11.2 x 7 inches with an indicator light that provides real time information on the charge visually (without the need of the smartphone app).
Using the standard J1772 connector, you will be able to charge all electric vehicles on the road from the 32 amps of power. The cord length of 25 foot is recommended for the best experience of the charger. Overall, it is the best home electric car charger for the money.
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Siemens VC30GRYU Electric Vehicle Charger
The Siemens brand are known for making a range of home “white” good such as fridges and so forth. However, the V30GRYU home electric car charger is proven to be a very popular device that can completely charge a car in 3.5 hours.
It has a similar price to the ChargePoint device, which is its main competitor. The Siemens EV charger comes with 20 foot cord included unlike the ChargePoint, which proves to be good value for money as a full package.
In terms of installation, the Siemens EV Charger is simply a Plug In and Play. A mounting bracket is included and all that it requires is a NEMA 6-50 type electric socket installed in the wall for power. It will not work with the standard 110/120V standard socket. You have the choice to have this unit hardwired or plugged in.
With this electric vehicle charger, you can also delay the charging for up to 8 hours with a easy to use function on the device. This can ensure you charge the car at the cheapest time of day from your energy provider.
Like with most EV Chargers, it has LED lights on the device but the Siemens model has pulsating lighting whilst charging. The unit is slightly larger than the ChargePoint at 16.5 x 16.5 inches and it uses 30 amps, 240 volts to charge a car.
The Siemens VC30GRYU Electric Vehicle Charger provides great value for money with everything you need in the box. The only drawback is that it doesn’t have a mobile application but the reduced cost compared the CharedPoint makes it much cheaper.
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Bosch Electric Vehicle Charging Station
Bosch is a big name player in the car world with many electrical vehicle components on the market. The charging station is the most expensive within this article, which is probably due to the reputable branding backing this device.
The Bosch EL-51254-A model can only be hard wired installed, which mean this EV Charger can be used both in and outdoors. It also has the capability to charge the majority of electric vehicles sold worldwide. This model is a 30 amp charger and comes with a 25 feet cord.
The ability to wrap the cord around the clever case is also perfect for a tidy and organized setup. Personally, I think the Bosch EV Charger looks better than the Siemens but you have to pay for this pleasure.
The Bosch Electric Vehicle Charger uses a feature that will automatically monitor the charging. This means that it will always charge the vehicle in the shortest amount of time that will save energy costs.
Overall, the Bosch EL-51254-A is a high quality home electric car charger that comes with three years warranty. You will be paying a slightly inflated price for the Bosch brand but they are known for reliability and durable products.
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JuiceBox Pro 40 with JuiceNet
The JuiceBox Pro 40 is a high powered electric charging station that automatically adjusts to the amount of power it receives, which can be up to 40 amps. You can also have full control over the charger with a smartphone application.
The smartphone application can be downloaded on all platforms as its called “JuiceNet – Smart EV Charging” for when you try to find it. From the app, you will be able to control when you want to charging to occur, max charge rate, real time power metrics, amperage, history and so much more.
JuiceBox Pro 40 is built in the US and can be indoor and outdoors with a safety certified rating of UL and cUL in Canada. It will charge all production electric vehicles as it uses the standard J1772 charging protocol.
240 input volts makes this a high powered home electric car charger is more powerful than the dealer EV chargers that they try and sell you. The price of the dealer units can be over 4 times the amount of the JuiceBox.
The design of the box looks great and its fairly compact (10 x 6 inches). There is a LED light that displays the charging status for when you need to quickly glance at it. Some users will remove the casing but this will void the warranty (3 years), so we advise not to remove it.
Overall, the JuiceBox Pro 40 is the better EV Charger compared to the ChargePoint alternative. However, its much more expensive that may put many people off buying it. However, if budget is not an issue then it is the best home electric car charger you can buy.
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AeroVironment TurboCord Plug-In EV Charger
If you are looking for a truly portable electric car charger as opposed to a fixed charging station, then AeroVironment TurboCord Plug-In is the answer. It is the best portable electric car charger you can buy and the cheapest charger in this article.
Electric cars will come with a standard cord, but using the TurboCord, you will see up to 3X the charging speed from this level 2 charger. The cord itself is 20 feet long and very durable so that it can be used indoor and outdoors. All that is required is a NEMA 6-20 outlet to plug it into.
With a dedicated 240 volt circuit, you are guaranteed to see charging times reduce hugely. For the cost and the amount on time it save you, the AeroVironment TurboCord Plug-In EV Charger is great value for money.
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Why You Need An Electric Vehicle Charger
Home charging is probably the easiest and convenient way to charge up your car for another day of commuting to work or to just travel along the roads. Unlike petrol driven cars, electric cars need electricity to keep going.
There are many charging stations on the road, but the best are found at home. As a buyer, you had little choice but to depend on home EV chargers just to keep their the battery topped up, and in in the early days buyers had little choice about what chargers they actually got. Unlike today, car buyers received an evaluation and an installation quote before they received their EV’s.
Car dealers recommend the charging stations that went with the models of cars they’d sold to you in the first place. These were often very expensive to buy for your home.
Not anymore – nowadays there is plenty of choice and compatibility is not really an issue anymore – all you need is the right level of power for your car, and there are dozens of models available and you can even purchase one of these charging stations online at Amazon.
In reality, it’s not difficult to charge an electric car at home or when you’re out and about travelling to work or just travelling with is a far cry from petrol and diesel cars which needed refuelling at petrol stations. Home EV chargers just require you to plug the car in and you’re good to go for the next day.
For the Electric Car owner, charging up is one of the toughest concerns there are. For most owners, 90 – 95% of electric car owners decide to charge their vehicles at home, which can be done with conventional power sockets or a specialized car charging point. It’s simple enough – you just leave the car charging overnight, or when you have a free moment and it keeps charging from the time the car is needed again.
It’s a convenient and more economical means of charging your car – why waste all that time driving home and leaving again the next morning to go to work and relying on a charging point en-route when you can simply charge it up at your house overnight so it’s ready by morning? It’s a matter of convenience, especially for daily commutes and runs that take place every day.
Most manufacturers say you should not use a domestic socket for everyday charging because of the high drain, and it can lead to overheating and there have been cases where the socket will burn because of constant use. Most EVSE’s are provided as an accessory to your EV for use at home anyway, but these plug into the house sockets without a charging station. This is the lowest level, level 1.
For regular home charging, it’s recommended that the best home electric car charger is installed in your home, and these can be fitted to an outside wall by an electrician who is qualified to do the work quickly and easily. The chargers provide a waterproof, robust connection and can work at a higher power consumption, and can reduce the time it takes to charge the car up.
Electric Car Charger Terminology
It’s important to know the language and terms of Electric cars and the technology surrounding it.
Charging – Refilling the batteries with electricity, done either at home or at a public station. Once it’s charged up, the charging will stop and any electricity flowing into your car will also stop. Some models of charger and car can automatically switch the charging process on or off at different intervals – day or night. This is to take advantage of cheaper rates or cleaner electricity sources.
Charger – Found inside the car, and not on the wall, which is a common misconception, with the (BMS) Battery Management system. The charger and the BMS work together to take the current from the socket on the side of the car, and split the current to the battery cells to give each one its optimum charge.
Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) – The real term for the box that hangs off the wall and delivers the current of electricity into your car, but its job is to coordinate the amount of electricity, enough to switch it on or off. This is done in a safe manner.
When the EVSE is connected to the car, it reports how much electricity is available. It also carries out checks to ensure there are no problems. It’s essential and has a simple purpose. Some models come with extra features like time of day controls.
Time of Day – Some electricity companies offer lower electricity rates used at night. Charging at those times helps you to save money. By charging off peak, you usually reduce your environmental impact between midnight and the early hours of the morning.
EV Charger Levels
All electric cars come with a charge cord rated at 120 volts – this is level 1, and can be used either at home or if you’re away. Most EV buyers prefer level 2 charging stations, which are faster and more powerful, rated at around 240 volts of current, which makes the car more capable, which is important for commuting and you can charge the car overnight. 240 volts are public charging stations where 120 volts are typically house electricity supplies.
It can take 12 hours for level 1 chargers to charge a car, but this is if you just plug an EVSE into the house, which is why most people opt for chargers. It’s possible to have your EVSE cable to be adapted to fit into the house plug, but run at a level 2 charging speed, and get a full charge in just 4 hours. It’s still a long period, but since most charges take place at night when you’re asleep, there’s no real difference.
How To Find The Best EV Charger
The best home electric car charger depends on many things. The type of plug in the vehicle that you have your heart set on, your garage layout, your house’s electrical systems, and your charging patterns. Do you plan to recharge during the day or the night? Many people decide to use the night to charge up their car because they only have to plug in at a certain time and wait until the morning before they wake up and find their battery has the electrical equivalent of a full tank.
One thing you can do is simply speak to a qualified electrician who is certified to install a home charger, find out from them the kind of amperage you’ll need for your EV, what kind of circuit breakers that need to be installed, the best length of cord and where the charging station should go in your garage. Ask the electrician to take al look at your house to see if the electrics need to be checked – if does it will add to the general costs of the installation – and think about getting a portable EV charger instead if you believe it is too much.
Find out what is on the market first by looking at the specifications of the chargers, see how much charge they can put into a car. One choice is to go for 240 volt charging stations that give out 30 amps or higher. This provides faster recharge times than low rating power stations. Make sure the EV charger is certified, otherwise you will be in danger of starting a serious fire, or an electrical hazard. Accidents do and can happen, and the injuries can be severe. A good EV charger will adhere to strict safety guidelines, so bear that in mind when you research the models available.
Also, you need to figure out the size you need to meet your charging needs. You may only need an EV charger that will give you enough power for a few hours each day. Try to work out the specifics of your car usage and get advice from other sources.
One thing to look into is whether or not you simply want the home electric charger to just plug into a wall outlet rather than go to all the trouble of getting a professional electrician in, and install a permanent installation. There are advantages to having a model that is more portable – if you think about moving homes in the near future, all you have to do is pack the EV charger up and move it to the new house. This type of charger makes it easier for the user to update to different, more efficient models later on, but those of you who are committed to going all electric should probably invest in a charger that’s slow. The next generation of electric vehicles will feature batteries which are bigger and will charge longer.
It should be noted onboard charger that’s rated for higher amounts of energy can use any slower EVSE, and a faster EVSE can charge a car with a slow onboard charger. It’s a good idea to research the ratings of the capabilities of the components of what you buy.
Tesla Ev’s use their own connectors in contrast to how most Level 2 EVSE’s use a standard plug and their own charging stations. It’s rated at a very high level of 72 amps, and are the only cars on the market that use that much power. This is because of the optional 20 kilowatt onboard chargers. Fortunately Tesla EV’s come with an adapter if the need to recharge and the only option is to charge at a conventional Level 2 station, and other adaptors are readily available if you need to plug into 240 volt wall plugs.
Tesla models have faster chargers and can replenish at 30 mph.
Other things to research is if you would prefer getting someone to adapt your EVSE cable if you’ve been provided with one, and don’t want a pricier charging station where you’d have to pay fees to have it installed, is the electricity rates in your neighborhood. While these adapters and upgrades can grant you a Level 2 charging speed in a short period, the electricity costs a little bit less during off peak hours – the times for these periods varies, so its good to check before you go for it. Some of these peaks can be between 10 pm and 6pm, and these will cost less and will save you money. Check your utility company for these details – they can save you a lot of money.
Also check how much power a battery can take. You should avoid charging it 100% of the time, and keep the battery at around 20% and only charge to around 80%. These measures should help run the car battery longer.
How To Install An Electric Car Charger At Home
If you’ve decided not to go for a portable home charger that simply plugs into your home, you will need an electrician to come to your home to install the connections and the outlets if they’re needed. One thing to consider is the price of the installation of the charger – even the best home electric car charger can take hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars to install. It depends on where the charger needs to go and also where the electric panel in your house is located. The work itself will involve a lot of drilling where they’ll install a new box and a plug into the wall to tap into the house’s power supply, but the accessibility of the panel will make the job easier for the electrician.
EVSE’s come in different sizes and likewise their plugs are different, and it’s recommended that you buy the charging station and actually receive it you show it to the electrician. The electrician will only need a few moments to work out the parts that would be needed and find the right place to install it.
It’s also a good move to buy a cord that’s 24 -25 feet long in case the next EV you purchase has a plug that’s in an inaccessible position and you need the length. Or it could be more convenient if you’re charging the car from further away, for instance if you’ve got the car more or less ready to go on a drive and you don’t want to reverse out of your garage.
What To Consider Before Buying
Price – assuming you don’t need any replacement panels.
How old your house is because if it’s quite old, it might need upgrading to handle the EVSE.
Do you need permission to install the charging station?
What do electricians cost in your area?
Some places require inspections and permits to install the EV charger. Permits can cost.
You should note that it could cost $600 to $1,000 to install an EV home charging station, but the installation costs can vary, so you would need to look into that, but it usually costs somewhere between $1,000 and $1,500, but it could cost only a few hundred dollars.
Less expensive EV chargers that are portable and don’t need to be installed are less expensive, but do your research into them anyway and ask the electrician about them either during or after his inspection of the house’s electrical system. You may find that you need something special done to adapt them to your home.
Older houses may not have the fuse box big enough to support the charging station and so you’d have to have the electrical service updated, and this can cost you $2,000.
Another thing to think about is the location the charger should go in. Where do you normally park your car? Do you park it the same way all the time, or do you vary it? Think about where the charger on the EV is, and remember that EV’s have their charging ports in different places.
Another thing you might begin to consider, though its an optional idea is finding a way to reduce your carbon footprint and not really rely too much on power companies to charge your car up. You could pair your home charging station with solar cells. It’s simpler to have solar panels installed on your roof and let the savings come in.
Solar energy works throughout the day, the power lasting through the day so then you can charge up your car during the night. Battery packs were expensive, but technology is improving all the time. Solar panels require electricians familiar with them to install, but these are just an optional extra for people who wish to reduce their carbon footprint or bring in savings.
Home Car Electric Car Charger Conclusion
The models for the best home electric car charger varies depending on its features they have, but one way to properly find out which is truly the best for you is to research, ask questions, speak to an electrician who is qualified. Some chargers that are inexpensive can be found on amazon.com, and simpler than others, and lack the feature that automatically switches the EV charger on late at night when the electricity rates are lowered.
Some car chargers that feature WiFi are more expensive than the simpler models, but they still deliver the all important 30 amp charge, but they can vary in size, and some models can vary in how much power they can charge a car with.
Some of the WiFi EV chargers are expensive, and can be a little more fussy, and they take more assembly than the conventional chargers – worse, you might have to pay more just to buy the cord. Even when you’ve picked an EV charger, it’s a good idea to read the information about them and have someone take a look at your house, and where you plan to charge the car up. Some WiFi chargers are less expensive of course, but they’re ratings of how much electricity they can deliver may not bring more value.
Some people can decide to go for the cheap and simpler option, and find that the best home electric car charger is actually the one you can carry around with you, and plug into a socket. If you believe this is your best choice, make sure it can handle the electricity and if it needs to be adjusted as discussed above.
This kind of charging station is simple, as are the types that deliver 32 amps of power for a sound design, but lack the extra features that are priced much higher, and they lack the WiFi and no buttons to stop or control the charge, so all you need to do is plug it in, and it charges the car, unplug and it stops.
There are dozens of sources on the internet that can give you advice on home chargers for electric cars, which ones are considered the best – don’t take their word for it, research and decide which one you need. Determine how often and how far you drive your car, listen to the electrician to work out the particulars of what you would need if you have a home charger installed and pay attention to your budget.
While you’ve got the electrician nearby, have him take a look at your house’s electrics and see if it needs work to take an EV charger – if it does, then you would need to pay to have it all worked on, meaning you’d have to pay more for the installation.
In the end, it all comes down to the research you go through and determining how much it will cost to find the right EV charger.
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