Electric Car Chargers

Are you aware that there are Electric car charging points grants available to help pay towards car charging installation?

The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS), will contribute up to 75 per cent towards the cost of buying and installing an electric charger. This grant pays up to a maximum of £350. You will need a home with off-street parking suitable for an electric car charger and an eligible electric vehicle.

There is also the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) which contributes up to 75 per cent to a maximum of £350 for each socket, for up to 40 charge points for the work place.

There are a number of different chargers available, here is a summary of the options

Electric Vehicle Charging Points

Slow Chargers

Slow chargers have a maximum of 3.6 kW available, and typically take between 6-12 hours to recharge a pure electric car. These chargers are ideal for overnight charging.

Fast Chargers

Fast chargers are rated at 7-22 kW and usually take between 3-7 hours to recharge an Electric Vehicle (EV) this depends on the size of the battery. If you are looking for a faster charging point then please have a chat with us about the different options available and we can advise on the models that we can provide.

Rapid Chargers

Rapid are the quickest (43 kW+), in 20-40 minutes these can take most batteries up to 80% charge, depending on how big the battery is and how much charge it's holding to start with. These are a great way to top up during long journeys, these are not normally installed in homes, the rapid chargers are used in service stations. Frequent use of rapid chargers can cause degradation of the car battery over time.

Looking at the typical charging points there are two options available

OPTION 1

Tethered charge point

A tethered charge point has a long cable attached to the unit. These have either a Type 1 or Type 2 connector and you will need to ensure it is compatible with your car.

The benefit of a tethered charging unit is you can plug it straight in to the car when you get home, but you are limited with the connector.

OPTION 2

Socketed charge point

A socketed charge point is like a dedicated charging station, fitted with the necessary safety devices to protect you, your car, and your home’s main fuse board. These EV chargers are universal, because any electric car with a fast charging cable, can be used with the charger.

The benefit of a socketed charge point is that it can be used with all electric vehicles, making it useable for friends, family and if you change your car.

car-g5a4692d47_1920.jpg

electric-car-g6538fe0e9_1920.jpg

What power rating should I use for my home car charging socket?

The 3-7 kW chargers are the most popular and are widely recommended for the UK home market. Many UK households have a single-phase (AC) electricity supply and can support the additional 7 kW load.

A few households, with three-phase (AC) supply can support a more powerful fast charger up to 22 kW. This is far more common in countries like Germany which has a more advanced electricity supply network.

At Timberwolf Electrical we will check everything for you before installation. We will ensure your distribution board has the capacity, upgrade it if required, install the charging point and provide all instructions for using it to charge your car.