Charging Options To Consider When Buying A New Electric Vehicle
When considering a new electric vehicle, you have a few things to think about beyond what type of car or truck to buy. EVs (electric vehicles) require charging, and while that often happens at home, there are times when you will need an alternative source for EV charging for your electric vehicle.
Installing An EV Charging Station
When buying an electric vehicle, you will need a charging station at home to recharge your car or truck daily. Most EVs come with a charger that you can plug in at home to top off the batteries, but many of the included chargers are slow and may require overnight charging to keep the batteries full.
Hiring an electrician or charging station installer to put in a larger charger for your vehicle is often worth the added cost and can improve the charging so you can top up the batteries in a couple of hours instead of overnight. There are many optional EV charging stations available for different cars on the market that can be installed inside a garage or outside your home if you do not have a garage space for your EV.
Fast charge stations typically require a higher voltage than a regular outlet provides, so you may need an electrician to add a circuit to your service panel dedicated to the charger and nothing else. Many times that needs to happen before the charger installation, but if the electrician doing that work is installing your EV charging station, it can all be one service call to your home.
Changing Away From Home
When buying a new EV, it is essential to consider EV charging away from home. If you commute to work every day and the distance is outside your vehicle's normal range, you may need to find a charging station near your job that you can use to charge your EV after you arrive.
Many businesses are adding EV charging stations for customers and employees, and most have discounted rates you pay through a membership when you use them. Once you charge your car, move it to a different parking space in the lot so others can use the EV charging station after you.
There are some manufacturers that offer free charging at specific locations, like the dealership, but most require some payment to use. There are mobile apps to help you find charging stations along a specific route, so planning a trip and where you will stop to charge is easier.
Contact a company like Battery Park Inc. to learn more.