Electricians Serving Temecula & Murrieta
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Electrical Vehicle Charging Stations & Car Charger Installation Experts
If you're looking to get your new electric car charger installed you have come to the right place. HB Electric specializes in EV charger installations and can help make your car charger installation fast and affordable. Here are a few things to consider before you hire an electrician to install your new EV charging station.
Finding the best location for your new EV charger. Cost vs Conveinience
The most cost effective location for an EV Charger is usually within 5' or less of the main electrical panel. At times this is not possible but to ensure that you get the best bargain for your buck we would strongly consider organizing your garage and Electric vehicle parking arrangements to allow for this type of installation. Keeping the car charger close to the electrical panel can literally save you hundreds of dollars in installation costs due to the high cost of specialized electrical materials such as conduit and wire.
Keeping the car charging station close to the electrical panel will also reduce the amount of labor necessary to complete your installation. Remember when long runs of conduit are installed it is usually necessary to have two electricians onsite to pull wire. This could easily double or triple the installation cost.
What type of EV charger should you purchase for your new electric car?
When purchasing a charger for your electric vehicle we always recommend contacting your vehicle manufacturer to see which charger they recommend for your specific make and model. There are 100's of different car chargers on the market and some tend to work better than others for different types of cars.
Something to consider when you purchase your new charging station is the voltage and amperage requirements on your specific charger. This information will let the electrician know what size wire and breaker to install to sufficiently power your new car charger.
Some car charging stations are designed to be hardwired directly into the unit while others come equipped with a cord and plug that may be attached to a special 240V receptacle. This is also helpful information you will want to pass on to your electrician when getting a quote for you car charger installation.
The difference between a basic 120V car charger vs an upgraded 240V charger
There are several benefits to upgrading your EV Charger to a 240V unit. We will address a couple of them here. For starters a 240V unit can commonly cut your charging time down to one third of the 120V unit. No more partial charging or waiting several hours before running your errands. You can plug in when you get home from work and within just a few hours your charged up and ready to go.
Using a 240V charger for your vehicle puts less stress on your home's electrical system. When using your standard 120V household outlet to charge your Electric vehicle you are putting tremendous strain on your wiring and outlets. Electric vehicles use a lot of power and most residential outlets are not designed to hold up for extended periods of time under such a heavy load. We have serviced the homes of many electric vehicle customers over the years to address this very issue. It is not uncommon for outlets and wiring to melt or even worse an electrical fire could result.
The bottom line is if you are currently using a standard 120V charging station for your electric car we would encourage you to consider an upgrade sooner rather than later.