Prepare Your Home For An Electric Vehicle

If you’ve recently bought or leased an electric vehicle in the Bloomington but you’re waiting for it to arrive, there are a few steps you can take to prepare your home for an electric vehicle. Electric vehicles require a bit more home preparation than standard gasoline-powered vehicles—namely, you’ll need to install an electric vehicle charging station. You can certainly use public electric vehicle charging stations, but they’re not quite common enough to fully rely on for all your charging needs. There are five steps you should take to make sure everything is ready when your new car arrives, and the service team at Suburban Chevrolet has all the details on how to get ready for electric vehicle charging batteries below!

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

The first thing you should do, if you haven’t already, is decide which kind of charger you’re going to use for your new EV. There are two types of chargers–Level 1 and Level 2–that offer different charging times. Here’s what you need to know:

• Level 1 EV charging uses the everyday 3-prong electrical outlets you find everywhere in your house. While these are the easiest types of outlets to find, it often takes multiple days to fully charge an electric car off of them.
• Level 2 EV charging is most likely what you’ll be using. It often takes a few hours to fully charge an electric vehicle, so you can plug it in before bed and have it ready for the Minnetonka commute the next morning. 

2. Ready Your Garage

Be sure to clean out your garage and get rid of any leftover clutter, so you have enough room for your new vehicle and its charging apparatus.

3. Find Your Power Panel & Assess Consumption

The next thing you should do is locate your home’s power panel. The power panel is in charge of distributing electricity throughout your house, and is rated for a maximum amount of current flow measured in Amperes. You can find your home’s amperage rating printed on the main circuit breaker, but most new homes these days are rated for 100 Amp. 

Once you’ve located the power panel, perform a self-assessment to measure how much electrical energy you use on average. This is important so you don’t accidentally overload the power panel by charging your new EV.

4. Hire an Electrician

You’ll want to hire an electrician to install a dedicated 240-volt plug or a hardwired circuit back to the power panel. You can also discuss any concerns over your power usage or the mechanics of charging an electric vehicle. Generally, installing a dedicated plug costs a couple hundred dollars, but this can quickly climb to $1,000 or $3,000 if the electrician has to upgrade your power panel.

5. Buy Your Charger & Have it Installed

The last thing to do to prepare your home for an electric vehicle is purchase the EV charger you’ve decided on, and have it installed by the electrician of your choice. This will have you ready for all your electric vehicle charging battery needs. 

Contact Suburban Chevrolet to Learn More!

If you have any questions about electric vehicle charging batteries, electric vehicle charging stations, or anything else we’ve discussed above, don’t hesitate to reach out to our office! We’re happy to answer any questions or give you more information about owning and driving an EV. You can also stop by our dealership to talk to an expert in person–we’re conveniently located near Minnetonka and Hopkins. And be sure to check out our service tips and tricks for more information about keeping your vehicle in top condition.