How to Prep Your Home for an EV

If you’re looking to buy a new car in Lawrence, KS, the last thing you’re probably thinking about is how to prepare your home for it. Even though electric vehicles have many benefits like a potential reduction in emissions and lower maintenance costs, you’ll still have to prepare your home with an electric vehicle home charger. While there are electric vehicle charging stations in many places, you’ll want to know the facts about how to prepare your home for an electric vehicle. We’ll tell you about electric vehicle charging batteries and more in this guide from Maserati of Kansas City, your sales and finance destination.

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

When getting ready to prepare your home for an electric vehicle, you’ll want to know that there are two types of EV chargers to pick from when thinking about electric vehicle charging batteries. You’ve got Level 1 and Level 2, and this is how they differ:

• Level 1 EV charging often takes days to fully charge an electric car. 
• Level 2 EV charging often takes several hours to fully charge an electric car. You can often get between 60-200 miles of range in just 20-30 minutes with Level 2 DC charging, though. People alternate daytime “top-off” charging with overnight fill-up charging for this reason.

2. Ready Your Garage

If you haven’t taken the stuff out of your garage yet, now’s the time. Get that old bike on the curb and clear out those golf clubs so you have the space to accommodate your EV and EV charging batteries.

3. Find Your Power Panel & Assess Consumption

The power panel in your home sends electricity throughout the entire building. It’ll be rated for a maximum amount of current flow measured in Amperes. Most new homes have a 100 Amp power panel, but there’ll be an amperage rating on the main circuit breaker. Don’t overload your electric distribution panel! We’ll discuss that in the next step.

4. Hire an Electrician

You’ll want to hire an electrician at this point. You can discuss your home’s power needs with them and how EV charging will fit into things. Putting an electric vehicle charging station in your home will have them installing a 240-volt plug or a hardwired circuit, which can cost a few hundred for modern homes or a few thousand for older homes with insufficient power panels.

5. Buy Your Charger & Have it Installed

Get your electric vehicle charging station installed by the electrician of your choice. Now you have an electric vehicle home charger and can top up from the comfort of your own home.

Learn More About EV Charging Stations at Maserati of Kansas City

If you’re ready to find that perfect EV, come have a chat with us. We’re right here in Merriam near St. Louis, MO and ready to help. Contact us today with your questions and we’ll get right back to you.