After purchasing your electric vehicle, you may balk at the idea of installing a home charger because it is an added expense. After all, you used your ICE car without installing a gas pump in your driveway. There are, however, many benefits to installing your charger at home.
This article considers why installing a home charger is worth the expense. The first argument for your home charger is convenience.
1. Home charging is convenient and safer
As many electric vehicle owners have realized, the best place to charge an electric vehicle is at home. With a charging station in your garage, all you have to do is remember to plug in when you get home. You could wake up to a full battery and drive out without range anxiety.
Since the charger is yours, you have total control over your charging. If there is a problem, you can quickly fix it. It could be frustrating to drive around with a low battery and not locate a free and working public charger. However, since you are the only user of your home charger, you won’t queue behind other cars as the charger is always available to you.
Safety is another reason why you should install your home charger. Public charging stations could be deserted places, meaning by parking your car to charge, you expose it and yourself to risks of vandalism, theft, etc. However, at home, you can charge in safety even when it is raining heavily.
There is a financial benefit to installing a home charger, despite the initial investment.
2. Home charging is cheaper and more predictable
Charging your electric vehicle at home is less expensive because you do not have the overhead that public charging stations have. However, there are ways you can even make your home charging cheaper. For instance, you can search for more affordable electricity plans or tariffs targeted at electric vehicles.
In most places, off-peak periods like overnight or weekends are the best time to charge your car. This is because electricity is usually cheaper during those periods, allowing you to pay less. However, you can only target off-peak periods when the charger belongs to you and is always at home.
You could even go further by setting up solar panels to make your electricity. It is cheaper to run solar panels than to charge from the grid. Apart from paying less for electricity that way, you can ensure you are using only clean energy to charge your electric vehicles.
If you care about the environment, you should care about your battery too, which brings us to the next benefit.
3. Home charging is better for your battery health
While public chargers may be faster, they do more damage to your battery than home charging. The damage comes from how rapid charging can raise the temperature of your battery. To delay battery degradation as much as possible, use home chargers more. The battery fills up slower but that is hardly an issue since you are already at home.
4. Home chargers last
Since quality home charging stations are durable, you will use them for a long time. They are also compatible with many different car brands, which means you can replace your electric vehicle without changing your home charging station. You could even charge a second electric car by taking turns.
5. Home chargers increase the value of your property
Property owners have discovered electric vehicle owners rush properties that have home chargers. This preference allows them to sell or rent out faster and even charge more for their property. Home chargers even raise the value of whole neighborhoods.
6. Potential savings in costs of home charger installation
To encourage the adoption of electric vehicles, many governments are offering incentives for homeowners looking to install home chargers. These come in the form of tax breaks or rebates. Depending on where you live, you might qualify for more than one, perhaps from the federal, state, and local governments. You might be able to cut off half or more of the cost.
Conclusion
Charging your car at home has many benefits. It is convenient, can save you money, is better for your battery, and will help your property to appreciate in value. You can find professional charging station installers online that will help you get the best charging experience.