These days, owning an EV is growing more common for local homeowners. That means home EV chargers are also growing in popularity. If you were an early adopter or economized on your EV charger installation, it could be time for an upgrade. Here are some ways you can tell that your home could use a more modern EV charger.
Incompatible Charging Plugs
If you purchased an EV charger for a particular vehicle, there’s no guarantee it will work with your next EV. Over the years, auto manufacturers failed to coalesce around a single charging plug standard. For example, your charger may feature an SAE J1772 plug, a common standard for North American EVs. However, if you purchase a Tesla, it features a NACS charging port. While many manufacturers are now adopting NACS, older chargers may still lack native compatibility, making an upgrade the cleaner long-term solution. While you can use an adapter, that’s far from an ideal solution. If you’ve recently bought a new EV and your existing charger plug doesn’t match, you need a charger upgrade.
Slow Charging
Most hard-wired home EV chargers use a Level 2 charging mechanism. What you may not know is that not all Level 2 EV chargers are the same. You can find models available that use as little as 16 amps of electricity while in use. More modern units can deliver up to 80 amps, provided the home’s electrical panel and wiring support it. The latter will charge your EV far faster than the former. So, if you’re dissatisfied with your current EV charging speed, you may want to upgrade your charger. Doing so may require some additional changes to your home’s electrical system, however.
You Now Have More Than One EV
Today, some households have more than one EV. That can leave members of your family jockeying for position at your charger. To remedy that, you can upgrade to a dual-port EV charger to charge two vehicles at once. They’re ideal for multi-car garages and make side-by-side charging easy. Most dual-port models automatically adjust charging voltages based on the number of connected cars. That allows for maximum one-car charging speed and balanced charging for two vehicles. Some two-port chargers let you customize charging speeds to favor one port over another. That can be useful if one of your EVs sees lighter use than the other.
You’re Ready for Smart Home Integration
A basic home EV charging station has everything you need to keep your vehicle powered up. However, it won’t necessarily play nicely with the latest in smart home technology. If you’re upgrading your home with home automation technology, that can be problematic. Some modern EV chargers work natively with common smart home platforms, such as Home Assistant. That can let you integrate charger information into your home’s information and control dashboards. It also helps if you’re trying to combine your EV charger with rooftop solar and battery storage. For example, it could allow you to prioritize charging during peak solar production times.
Upgrading your home’s EV charger requires some specific knowledge and expertise. Contact We Care Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Electric for the latest in EV charger installations in Central GA and the FL Panhandle today.
