A massive benefit of EV ownership is that most, if not all, of your ‘fueling up’ can happen right at home. No more gas station visits means no more noxious emissions, no more gas fumes at the pump and no more dealing with high and/or wildly fluctuating prices. Charging an EV at home can be as easy as plugging in your cell phone to charge – depending on your needs, some extra equipment and effort may be required to get you fully set up.
Nearly every new EV will be sold with the basic equipment required to charge it. This basic setup will satisfy some owners, but there are many benefits to upgrading your home charging system. Here’s everything you need to know to make that decision.
Equipment
Chargers, EVSE, Connectors and Adapters
First, some terminology. EV charging setups are comprised of two parts: a charger and an EVSE, or “electric vehicle service/supply equipment.” Confusingly, what we typically refer to as a ‘charger’ – a sleek, wall-mounted box mounted to a garage wall and/or a charging cable itself – is an EVSE. It is, essentially, a fancy AC adapter designed specifically to regulate the flow of electricity from your home to your car. Your EV’s charger, on the other hand, is part of the car itself and is accessed via a port that resembles a conventional gas cap/fuel door.
An EVSE will be included with your EV purchase, typically in the form of a simple cable that plugs into and draws power from a conventional wall outlet. This is the simplest (and slowest) charging setup. Wall-mounted EVSEs are a much more versatile option, as they can be located almost anywhere and often are wired directly into your home’s electricity. They can handle higher power levels, translating to faster charge times. (They also look cool.)
The connector is what plugs into your car’s charging port – it’s at the end of the cable that either plugs into your wall outlet or originates in a wall-mounted EVSE. Almost all connectors are a specific type called J1772 and will fit any EV’s charging port. If a vehicle’s charging port does not accept a J1772 connector, it will come with an adapter that does work.