5 Steps to Preparing for an Electric Vehicle Home Charger

Buying a new car can be an exciting experience, especially if it’s your first time purchasing an EV. There are many benefits to purchasing an EV, including a smaller carbon footprint, cost savings, and tax credits. However, purchasing an EV includes a little more preparation before you are ready to charge your car at home. So, let’s learn more about how to prepare your home for an electric vehicle with BMW of Tenafly today! For more information on EVs around Fort Lee, feel free to contact us anytime!

1. Choose a Charging Type or Level

When shopping for an electric vehicle charger, it’s best to choose the charging type that works best for you. Most home chargers are either Level 1 or Level 2. Let’s learn more below:

• 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, however, you can usually get between 60-200 miles of range in just 20-30 minutes with Level 2 DC charging. 

2. Ready Your Garage

To get ready for an electric vehicle charging station, it’s important to make sure your garage is organized and decluttered before you bring your EV back to your Cresskill garage. So, if your garage has been used as a storage spot, you should make sure that you clear and organize prior to delivery. 

3. Find Your Power Panel 

The next thing you need to do is to find your power panel, which is the component that provides electrical power throughout your home. Newer homes or those with upgraded power systems will have a 100 Amp power panel, however, you should be able to see the amperage rating on the main circuit breaker. 

Now it’s time to figure out how much energy your electric vehicle charging station will consume. This is done through a self-assessment of your power consumption prior to installation of your charger, as it’s important not to overload your eclectic distribution panel. 

4. Hire a Trusted Electrician

Next you should hire a trusted electrician to discuss any issues that may arise as a result of the additional power consumption with the electric vehicle charging batteries included. We recommend asking your electrician to install a 240-volt plug or a hardwired circuit that leads back to the power panel. This might cost you a couple hundred dollars or even between $1,000 or $3000 if you need a new power panel. 

5. Choose Your Charger & Have it Installed

It’s important to now choose your charger and have it installed by your electrician. We do not reommeded doing this by yourself. 

Get In Touch With BMW of Tenafly For More Information!

Now that you know more about how to prepare your home for an electric vehicle, come stop by BMW of Tenafly to learn more! If you want to purchase an electric vehicle around Tenafly come check out our new vehicle inventory and apply for financing to start the buying process. Be sure to also use our new vehicle specials to save big near Closter!