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Electric Car Chargers
Are you aware that there are Electric car charging points grants available to help pay towards car charging installation?
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The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS), will contribute up to 75% towards the cost of buying and installing an electric charger (up to a maximum amount of £350). To be eligible for this grant, your home will need off-street parking suitable for an electric car charger and an eligible electric vehicle.
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There's also the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) which contributes up to 75%, to a maximum of £350 for each socket, for up to 40 charge points for the work place.
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Interested? Take a look below at a summary of the different chargers available.
Electric Vehicle Chargers and 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) depending on the size of the battery.
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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 at 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 chargers are a great way to top up during long journeys which is why you often see them in service stations, but are not normally installed in homes. Frequent use of rapid chargers can cause degradation of the car battery over time.
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 it can be plugged straight in to the car when you get home, but you are limited with the connector.
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.
One advantage of these EV chargers is they 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.
What power rating should I use for my home car charging socket?
In the UK home market the 3-7 kW chargers are the most popular and are widely recommended. 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. However, this is far more common in countries like Germany which has a more advanced electricity supply network.​
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At Timberwolf Electrical we will check everything for you before installation. We'll 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.