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Courtesy of Tesla
Tesla Model X charging at home.
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Courtesy of Tesla
Each evening, Rich George drives home from work in a Tesla Model X SUV. The first thing he does after pulling into the garage is to plug the fully electric vehicle into a Tesla High Power Wall Connector, just as he might plug in his iPhone or tablet. Overnight, the car will draw up to 50 amps of electricity, charging his battery until it has enough juice to power the car for 280 miles—far more than the 50 miles George says he typically needs for his daily commute and errands.
Electric vehicles are growing in popularity, and the number of residential and public charging stations to power them is growing apace. Home chargers can be installed indoors or out—on everything from brick to metal surfaces—and all take similar form: wall-mounted with a charging cable that resembles a fuel hose.
George chose the Tesla-branded High Power Wall Connector for his house in part because of its adjustable amperage, which allows him to dial up the charging speed—useful when he’s pressed for time. R & R Electrical Company installed the charger for $635, including permit costs. The charger itself cost $500. For out-of-state road trips, George stops in charging stations positioned approximately once every 100 miles on major highways.
“It only takes 35 minutes to fully charge my SUV at a supercharging station,” he says, adding that the service is free for the life of his ownership of a Tesla Model X.
Nathen Reed, a Nissan Leaf owner from Barnhart who limits his driving to around town, uses a combination of options to charge the car. “At night, I charge my car at home, using a regular 110-volt outlet, and during the day I use a 240-volt fast charger for free at work. Between the two, I can keep my Leaf fully charged at 130 miles.”
Dan Mayberry, service manager at J. Bathe Electric Co., says that owners of electric cars should evaluate their charging station options early on in the car-buying process and base the decision on budget, habits, and driving needs.
Regardless of the setup, the first step in selecting a home charging station is to ask the car manufacturer to recommend a local electrician who’s qualified to carry out installations, Mayberry says. During the initial visit, an electrician will determine how much equipment and material a job will require and estimate labor time.
“They’ll establish things like how many feet of cable is needed to run from the charger to a home’s electric panel or if a hammer drill is required to cut through a concrete wall to set anchors to hold the charger,” Mayberry says.
Courtesy of Nissan
One of the primary concerns of owners of electric vehicles is the fear that their car won’t have enough range to reach its destination. But you can allay “range anxiety” by talking with the electrician about how much amperage is needed to fully charge a battery at the desired number of miles per hour. Mayberry says that the recommended average rate of charge is 25–30 mph, and most people drive fewer than 100 miles in a day. A 240-volt National Electrical Manufacturers Association, or NEMA, 14-50 receptacle, for example, will take three to four hours to recoup that mileage.
The average home charging station installation ranges from $800–$1,400, says Mayberry. That figure includes the initial site visit, equipment costs, charger installation, permit costs, and scheduling of the municipality inspection. Workplace and destination charging are often free, offered as a benefit by corporations to their employees and as a service by hotels and retailers to the consumer. The cost and manner of payment for public charging stations varies. Whereas some providers ask drivers to open an account and pay into it in increments, others offer plans with monthly fees. Nationally, public charging costs range from $1–$5 an hour.
Once a driver sorts out an arrangement, maintenance on a charging station is minimal because chargers are sealed and weatherproof.
“Just keep them clear of dust and dirt. Loop the cord over the hook on the charger when it’s not in use to prevent damage,” says Mayberry.
“I’ve had no issues,” says George. “There’s virtually no maintenance. The greatest thing is that I never have to go to a gas station.”—
