How to Prepare Your Home For An Electric Vehicle

2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV on Street
There are a lot of benefits to owning an electric car like a Chevy Bolt EV in the East Hills area, but there’s also some prep work to do to make sure your home is ready before it arrives in your driveway. The main thing you’ll want to do is have an electric vehicle charging station installed in your garage or outside your house, so you can recharge your EV’s battery from home. While you can find electric vehicle charging stations in public, they’re not quite common enough that you’ll be able to rely on them for 100% of your charging needs. Luckily, the process of finding and installing an electric vehicle home charger is relatively easy, as long as you stick to some straightforward steps. The service team at Major World has everything you need to know about how to prepare your home for an electric vehicle in the guide below!

1. Decide on a Charging Type (AKA Charging Level)

The first thing you should do, if you haven’t already, is to decide which type of charger you want for your electric vehicle home charger. In general, most home chargers are classified as either Level 1 or Level 2–Level 3 is usually only found in public charging stations. Here are some details:

  • With Level 1 EV charging, you can plug your EV into any standard three-prong outlet you find throughout your home. However, although it’s the most convenient type of charging, it’s also the slowest, often taking days to bring your battery to a full charge.
  • Level 2 chargers are the most common type of charger used by EV drivers, and typically recharge the battery in a matter of hours, rather than days. You can also install a Level 2 DC (direct current) charger for even faster charging.

2. Ready Your Garage

The next thing you should do is clean out and organize your garage, to get it ready for a new vehicle and the charging apparatus you’re going to install.

3. Find Your Power Panel & Assess Consumption

Next, find your home’s power panel and make note of its maximum amperage rating. The power panel is in charge of distributing electricity throughout your home, and is typically rated for around 100 Amp. Once you’ve noted your home’s maximum amperage rating, perform a self-assessment on how much electrical energy you consistently use each month. It’s important that you do this so you don’t accidentally overload your power panel by charging your EV.

4. Hire an Electrician

After you’ve located your home’s power panel and determined your electrical consumption, you should hire a trusted electrician to discuss any questions or concerns you have about the installation process. You can also have the electrician install either a dedicated 240-volt plug or a hardwired circuit to the power panel. This can cost a couple hundred dollars if there aren’t any underlying issues to address, but the cost can increase to $1,000 to $3,000 if the electrician needs to upgrade your power panel so it can handle more electricity.

5. Buy Your Charger & Have it Installed

The last thing you need to do is to research and purchase the electric vehicle charging station of your choice, and have it installed by the electrician of your choice. You’re all set!

Contact Major World to Learn More!

If you have any questions about electric vehicle charging batteries, installing an EV charger, or anything else we’ve discussed above, feel free to contact our office! You can also stop by our dealership to talk to a member of our team in person–we’re conveniently located near Bayside and Forest Hills.

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Major World 40.7534, -73.9184.