Prepare Your Home for an Electric Vehicle

Normally, when you buy a new or used vehicle, there’s not much prep you have to do at home to get it ready for your new ride. However, if you’ve just bought an electric vehicle, or if you’re considering buying one, then there are some steps you need to take to prepare your home. EVs have a lot of benefits, such as high performance and environmental friendliness, but they also require a bit more preparation to make sure they run properly. 

While public electric vehicle charging stations are becoming more and more common around St Louis, you’ll probably be doing most of your charging from home. Suntrup Volkswagen has all the details on how to prepare your vehicle for an electric vehicle home charger in the guide below.

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

The first step is to decide what type of electric vehicle home charger you want: Level 1 or Level 2. Level 1 chargers plug into everyday three-prong outlets, but they also take multiple days to fully charge an EV and should really only be used as a last resort. Level 2 chargers have to be professionally installed, but they’re much more powerful and often charge up your battery in a matter of hours.

2. Ready Your Garage

Next, you should make sure your garage is cleaned out and organized in preparation for your vehicle’s arrival. EVs and home chargers take up a lot of space, so you want to make sure there isn’t any unnecessary clutter around, particularly if you’ve been primarily using your garage for storage.

3. Find Your Power Panel & Assess Consumption

Your home power panel is in charge of distributing electricity evenly throughout the building, and is rated for a maximum amount of current flow in amperes. Most new homes in the St Peters area come with a 100-amp power panel; you can find the amperage rating printed on your main circuit breaker. After you find your power panel, do a self-assessment of your electricity use before your EV arrives. You don’t want to accidentally overload your power panel when you’re charging your car, or you’ll blow the power out.

4. Hire an Electrician

The next step is to hire a trusted electrician. This is a good time to discuss any concerns you may have about your power consumption and adding EV charging. If needed, the electrician can install a dedicated 240-volt plug or hardwired circuit to the back of the power panel. If your power panel has a sufficient amount of electricity, this usually only costs a couple hundred dollars. However, if they have to upgrade the panel, it can cost between $1,000 and $3,000.

5. Buy Your Charger & Have It Installed

Finally, research home electric vehicle charging stations, purchase your favorite, and have it installed by your electrician. You’re all set!

Contact Suntrup Volkswagen to Learn More!

If you have any additional questions about electric vehicle charging batteries or stations, feel free to contact our office! You can also stop by our dealership near Webster to talk to a member of our team about EVs, and we’ll be happy to help.