One of the perks of driving an electric vehicle is you can charge it right at home. When you get home at the end of the day, when the battery is almost depleted, you can just plug it in. When you wake up in the morning, you’ll have a fully charged battery ready to go. But how does home charging work? Do you need special equipment? Systems such as Acura Home Electrification make it easy to get set up for home charging.
What Features Should a Home EV Charger Have?
While plugging your EV into a regular plug is an option, some charging units can be installed to make charging quicker and more efficient. If you’re looking to get set up to help maximize your charging time, there are a few things to look for in a system. You’ll want the right length cord. Take a look at the space you have, and make sure to get a cord that is long enough to give you some flexibility in where you park.
You’ll also want a system that is safe. Two of the best certification companies are Underwriters Laboratories and Intertek. Some of the cheaper home charging stations don’t get this certification, but the extra cost to have a certified cord is worth it.
Check the Kilowatts
In most cases 9.6 kilowatts is a good place to land. This amount of power will get you about 29 miles for every hour of charging if you have a midsize crossover such as the Acura ZDX.
The Acura home electrification system has a home charging station that uses a 240-volt connection with a line dedicated to your electrical panel for your car charging needs. This system will get you a full charge after eight hours of charging, and what’s even better, it comes with a 25-foot cord. This means you can park in the garage to charge overnight or stretch the cord outside if you don’t want to pull in.
Consider Your Lifestyle
How nomadic is your daily life? Do you tend to head out to your beach house or your cottage in the mountains every weekend, or does your job require you to move every few years? If you don’t think you’ll charge your EV in the same place every night, you might want to consider a portable station instead of a permanently mounted and hard-wired unit. A portable system hangs on a wall in your garage and plugs into a 240-volt system.
If you stay home and you know you’ll charge at the same place every night, then a hard-wired system such as the one that’s part of the Acura home electrification system will do just fine.
Choosing the right home charging station for your EV comes down to what you need and your lifestyle. But no matter which one you choose, you’ll get to skip the gas station and wake up each morning to a fully charged vehicle.
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