EV Home Charging: All You Need To Know

Charging an electric car at a public charging station can be quick and convenient. But if you think about a long-term charging solution, home charging certainly wins. 

What are the benefits? How fast and with what costs can you charge your electric vehicle at home? 
You will get all the answers here.

Let’s start with the benefits of car charging at home. We selected the ones that matter the most:

• Lower costs. Home charging is usually cheaper than public charging. 

• You don’t have to look for ways to spend time while your car is charging. Simply plug it in and go to watch your favourite series on the couch - your EV home charging station will stop once the charging is completed or when it’s scheduled to stop. This is how it works with the go-e Charger and its scheduler function. 

• If you have a mobile wallbox, you can take it with you and charge your electric car when you are camping or visiting friends far away from your home. 

• Charging at home is more sustainable as you can regulate the charging speed and reduce the pressure on the power grid. This is the case for those using smart chargers. 

We are not saying home charging is the only way. Why do public car charging points even exist then? At this point, we invite you to have a look at the “dark side” of home charging:

• Initial cost. Installing a home EV charging station can be very cheap but could also be costly, especially if you need to upgrade your electrical panel or run a new circuit.

• Not everyone has the luxury of being able to install a home EV charging station. For some, the decision may be out of their hands due to circumstances beyond their control, such as a strict landlord who doesn't allow modifications to the property.

Most home chargers come without a cable. Hence, you will need to buy one separately. Choosing the charging cable can be a little tricky as they are all different in length, colour, style and maximum amount of power they can transfer. To make a long story short, reading a cable buyer’s guide certainly wouldn’t hurt. :)

All AC wallboxes can charge all electric cars and plug-in hybrids. The same with the charging cables. If you buy a type 2 cable for connecting your vehicle with the charger, you also can almost never go wrong. Why almost never? There is a very low number of EV models that use a type 1 cable (e.g. Citroen C-Zero, Peugeot iOn and Renault Fluence).

If you have a wallbox, you can charge any electric car with it including your Tesla.

Here are a few tips for charging your Tesla:

• Find a wallbox with an identical or higher maximum charging speed than your Tesla.

• As Tesla’s charging port is located on the left side of the car, think ahead where to install a wallbox so that you’re able to park conveniently next to it.

• Charge overnight to save costs.

How fast you can charge your electric vehicle at home depends on:

• the car itself

• the wallbox you use

• your house power grid capabilities

• weather conditions

• additional factors.

Your house power supply should also be able to provide the amount of current you need. If you have old electrics, for instance, it may limit your car's charging speed. 

Your car has a predefined maximum power rate and number of phases available for charging. Any electric vehicle can charge with either a single-phase, two-phase or three-phase on-board charger. 

So the first thing you need to do is to find out how fast your car can charge. It can be, for instance, 22 kW like the Renault Zoe or 11 kW like the Tesla Model 3. In this case, you need a wallbox with the same or exceeding speed and number of phases to enjoy a really quick charging. 

You can find wallboxes with a max charging rate between 3.6 kW and 22 kW. For example, our go-e Chargers are able to charge at up to 11 and 22 kW depending on which one you buy.

Home charging is cheaper than public charging, it’s a fact. But how much cheaper? 

The cost of charging at home includes one-time expenses and regular costs. 

One time expenses are the following: 

• buying a wallbox - €600-800 (optimal price; can be much lower for simple chargers without smart safety features, the use of which can lead to a power cut in the house)

• buying a charging cable - €150-350.

• installing your wallbox  - €250-600

If you need to upgrade your electric panel and make a few cutouts to have the wallbox installed, additional costs might arise. 

Once you’re all set up, you only need to pay for the electricity used for charging your electric vehicle. We cannot guess the costs offered by your electricity provider, but in Germany, for example, you can charge an average for 37 cents/kWh at home (as of Dec 13, 2022).

Saving money is possible if you use a smart wallbox for charging your car. Simply use one of the following features:

• Make the most of cheap electricity tariffs at night by scheduling your home charging station to charge during these hours. Simply use the scheduler to set the start and end times for charging, and watch your energy bills shrink. Make sure your power provider offers fluctuating rates, so you can take advantage of the lowest prices available. Happy (cheap) charging! 

• The go-e Charger has an eco mode integrated. This means the wallbox tracks the prices for the upcoming hours for all the flexible electricity tariffs stored by go-e. All you need to do is to set the price limit above which the charging shouldn’t continue. 

If you install solar panels on the roof of your house, you can charge, basically, for free. First, however, you need to invest in buying the panels. Prices vary depending on their type and capacity.

Once you’re all set, you can switch completely to charging with solar or use a wallbox with a PV surplus power feature. This means the charger will take the solar energy as soon as there is any left after all other appliances in the house have enough electricity to function.