Electric cars are on the rise in Australia, with most major manufacturers bringing affordable options to the market in the next year or two. But, while they’re bound to become a common sight on our roads, you might have noticed that charging stations aren’t exactly popping up everywhere.
You can find the odd charger in metropolitan areas, but so far Australia seems to be slow off the mark when it comes to installing the infrastructure to keep up with the inbound electric options. With so few dedicated charging stations on offer, most electric vehicle owners are left to charge their cars at home. If you’re interested in buying an EV you’ll need to figure out how to handle charging and whether a high capacity charger is worth it for your house.
Charging Electric Cars at Home
Until charging stations become common at workplaces, shopping centres and those places we visit frequently, most people are limited to charging at home.
For most of us, this doesn’t present much of an issue. Your car can be plugged into a standard 10 or 15 amp wall outlet and left to charge slowly overnight when electricity is cheap. It can take 8-12 hours to completely charge a car this way, but if you aren’t driving long distances then you probably won’t need to charge it every single day and using your existing power system is fine.
At-Home Charging Stations
The next level of charging for your EV is to install a dedicated charging station at home. These chargers deliver a higher current and can charge your car in significantly less time than a standard 15 amp wall outlet. They’re also usually equipped with smart software that controls charging cycles. Software in the car and the charger allows you to program the car to charge at cheaper overnight rates, and it protects the car from over and undercharging, which can significantly prolong the life of its battery.
Unfortunately, at-home charging stations aren’t included in the price of your car. They can be purchased and installed separately, but the equipment can cost several thousand dollars. You will also need to be sure that you are installing a charging system that is compatible with the batteries in your car. Manufacturers are currently using several different standards for charging equipment and the charger plugs aren’t interchangeable.
Public Car Chargers
Whether it’s worth installing a dedicated charging system at home is a question only you can answer. While public chargers at petrol stations and shopping centres aren’t yet commonplace, we’re expecting to see them more as mass-market electric cars arrive in Australia over the next few years. It’s possible that charging stations will become widespread enough that EV owners can rely on having one available wherever they’re going, and simply use standard wall sockets when they’re at home.
For now, if you want a healthier EV battery and more freedom from the wall socket in your garage, investing in an at-home charger maybe your best option.
Thinking About an Electric Car? Contact Dawson Electric Today!
Bringing your first electric car home is going to be an exciting feeling, but you need to make sure your home circuits are up to the task. Electric vehicles can draw lots of power for long hours so you need to have an electrician look at the outlets in your garage and check their condition. The friendly team at Dawson Electric would be happy to assess your home and help you prepare for the arrival of your first EV. Feel free to get in touch if you would like more information or want to make a booking!