Having an electric car is great. But you know what’s better? Having an electric car that you can charge at home. 

That’s because, while all-electric vehicles (EVs) are more efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly than driving a car with an internal combustion engine (ICE), the ability to charge your car at home is what makes EVs a particularly hassle-free form of transport. 

Of course, there is always the option to charge your electric car at a public chargepoint. But that does mean having to find one, queue for your turn to charge (particularly if you’re powering up during a high peak period), and hang around for the 10 to 30 minutes you need while charging takes place. 

Not everyone lives close to a working charge station, either. So you may have to incur additional time—and expense—driving to a chargepoint every time you need to fuel up your car. 

All that said, convenience is still just one of many significant advantages of having an EV home charger. There are a host of other reasons, from fuel savings to more flexibility, and even increasing your property value.  

So while switching to an electric car is the first step towards cleaner, less costly and more convenient driving, in this article we’ll show you how home charging your EV can help you benefit even more as an electric car owner. 

Convenience

Ok, so we mentioned it above but the convenience of being able to fuel your car without leaving home is pretty cool. In a McKinsey survey, charging accessibility was singled out as a primary motivation for moving from ICE to electric cars.

It makes sense. The last thing you want when you’re rushing to work or another destination in a car with low battery, is to worry about where you’ll charge, if there’ll be a queue, whether the charger will be functioning and how much it’s going to cost you. 

Unfortunately, in another recent survey carried out by consumer champions, Which?, 73 per cent of the UK’s electric car drivers claimed they were unhappy with the country’s public charging network for one or more of the above reasons. 

It’s why, in the same report, more than nine out of 10 (96 per cent) of EV and PHEV (plug-in hybrid vehicle) drivers claimed they opted to charge at home. 

Consistent and Reliable EV Charging

Having a dedicated home car charger means having a consistent and reliable source of power for your EV right at your residence. 

You can immediately ditch the need—or worry—of having to factor in regular visits to public chargepoints. This can be especially reassuring during extreme weather conditions, peak charging periods, or when your nearest station is either bumper-to-bumper or out of service.

It also means you can charge when it suits you. For most EV drivers, this tends to be overnight, when they’re engaged with home life and not using the car and, importantly, when charging is at its cheapest.

Cost

This brings us nicely to another huge benefit of having a home EV charger—lower costs. 

It’s true that generally, you will have to shell out somewhere between £800 to £1,500 for an EV charger installation at home. However, if you buy a quality charger such as the VCHRGD Seven from Powerverse, a standard installation comes as part of the overall package. 

On top of that, with the money you save by powering up at home rather than at public chargepoints, you’ll make back the price of the charger in 2-5 years. By opting for one of the low tariffs offered by many of the British energy suppliers, you can pay as little as 4p per kWh when charging at home. In comparison, you may have to cough up £1 or more per kWh when charging at a public station. 

And the news for public charging doesn’t get better. According to one report earlier this year, the price of powering up at a public chargepoint rose by 11 per cent across 12 months. Over the same period, home charging costs rose by 1 per cent.

Furthermore, the price of domestic electricity is currently capped at 28.62p per kWh, and the good news is that it’s set to drop even lower to 24.50p from 1st April 2024 onwards. 

Hidden Costs of Public EV Charging

There are also several other savings to consider with an EV home charger. For example, you’ll avoid the expense of travelling to public chargers to power up. Depending on where your nearest chargepoint is, this cost can add up to quite a lot over weeks, months and years. And as you may only be able to travel between work hours, which tend to match peak electricity times, you’ll be paying out a lot more than if you had charged off-peak at home.  

Additionally, one of the reasons that public chargepoints can be so costly is that you’re also paying for the additional utilities and equipment along with actual usage fees.

Moreover, while you pay 5 per cent VAT for domestic energy consumption, that rises to 20 per cent at a public charging station. Add all of these extra expenses up and you have a strong argument in favour of  installing an EV charger at home.

Greater Flexibility

It’s not just money you save, it’s time too. With an EV home charger, you have the flexibility to charge your electric car during periods that work for you. 

In emergencies or unexpected situations when having your EV ready to roll is essential, you don’t have to waste time figuring out where to top up your battery. 

And if you have a smart charger—better still. Smart charging gives you the go-ahead to control your charging sessions remotely. You can monitor charging progress, adjust timings or charge amounts, and receive software updates of new features and offers.  

Ease of Use

Unlike some public charging stations with their incompatible charger types and different levels of speed, home car chargers are very easy to use. 

Most EV home devices have a simple plug-in-and-play design and an intuitive interface that puts control fully in the user’s hands. This means that even the least tech-savvy among us will find it easy to start, stop and control the charging process.

Customisable charging settings also ensure that your charging fits your preferences as well as your electricity plan. You can adjust charging speeds, set charging schedules to take advantage of off-peak rates, and personalise other parameters based on your needs and lifestyle all at the push of a few buttons or the tap of a touchscreen. 

Electric Car Battery Life

When considering shifting to an electric car, a primary concern many have is around the lifespan of the battery. 

The good news is that an electric car battery can last up to 200,000 miles and more. The better news is that home charging is one of the easiest ways to minimise the degradation of the battery’s health. 

Why? Well, for starters, home chargers tend to provide slower charging options, which is more beneficial for the battery. 

A typical level 2 (AC) home charger will have a power output of 7 kW. In EV parlance, this will give you a “fast” or “regular” charge, meaning your car will take 4-8 hours for a full charge.

This may be slower than public charging stations with power outputs of 22 kW, or rapid charging which uses power levels of 150 kW and more. But as most people power up their car at home overnight, and rarely need a full battery (the reason why will be explained in a minute), this generally isn’t an issue. What is an issue is that rapid charging puts more stress on the battery due to the heat that it generates, and this can speed up the battery’s overall decline.  

With a charger always at hand, you can also “top up” your electric car more regularly and so avoid deep discharges. Lithium-ion batteries, commonly used in EVs, tend to have longer lifespans when kept within a certain state of charge (SOC) range. SoC is the amount of energy your battery has at a given time, and most of the time, you should keep it above 20 per cent and below 80 per cent.

This is primarily because once it reaches 80 per cent, the rate of charge slows down. But frequently powering up to 100 per cent can also degrade your battery. When you’re powering up at home, it’s so much easier to maintain this SoC range, and so, your battery’s health. 

Property Value

Finally, having a home car charger can positively impact your property’s value. On the off chance you decide to sell your home after an EV charger installation, it will likely sell at a higher price than a similar property without a charger.

As the adoption of electric cars continues to rise, having a charger already installed makes your home more attractive to homebuyers with their own EVs or those thinking about purchasing one.

On a practical level, as the UK government has already committed to a transition to zero-emission cars and vans by 2030, potential buyers may view your installed charger as a future-proof feature, saving them the hassle of having to fit one themselves later on. 

If you would like to find out more about installing an electric car charger in your home, check out the smart, solar-ready VCRGHD charger from Powerverse. You can also contact our expert team to chat for further information.