How to Prepare Your Home for an Electric Vehicle

If you’ve just bought an EV such as the Chevy Bolt, or you’re considering bringing one home, there are steps you need to take to prepare your garage. Most cars don’t require any additional preparation, but EVs need to be recharged frequently and the most convenient place to do that is from home. There are plenty of public charging stations in the Lakeville area to take advantage of when you’re out of the house, but you don’t want to have to rely on these as your primary method of power. There are five straightforward steps you should take between ordering an EV and having it arrive in your driveway – the team at Shakopee Chevrolet has all the details on electric vehicle charging batteries and electric vehicle home chargers in the guide below. 

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

An easy place to start is to decide on what kind of electric vehicle home charger you want to have in your garage. There are two primary types of home chargers to choose from – Level 1 and Level 2. Here are the basics of each:

• Level 1 chargers take advantage of basic three-pronged power outlets, the same that charge your phone and computer. These outlets are the most common, but they also take the slowest to charge your EV by far.
• Level 2 chargers are the most frequently used by EV drivers, since they’re designed for electric vehicle charging batteries. Level 2 chargers can get your battery up to full power in a matter of hours (Level 1 chargers usually take a few days at least), particularly if you install a DC fast charger. Level 3 fast chargers–the kind that can get your battery up to full in less than an hour–are only available at public charging stations in Burnsville, and can’t be used from home.

2. Ready Your Garage

An electric vehicle charging station can take up a fair amount of space depending on which one you choose, so it’s a good idea to clean out and organize your garage before installation.

3. Find Your Power Panel & Assess Consumption

Your home’s power panel is in charge of distributing electricity throughout your property. It’s rated for a maximum amount of current flow measured in Amperes–usually around 100 Amp. You can find the specific rating printed on the side of the panel. Charging your EV will be a new source of power consumption, so you want to make sure your power panel can handle it. Perform a self-assessment of your electricity use to make sure that charging your car won’t overload the electric distribution panel and short it out. 

4. Hire an Electrician

The next thing you’ll want to do is hire a trusted electrician. If you have any concerns about adding EV charging to your current power consumption, now is the time to bring it up. You can have the electrician install a dedicated 240-volt plug or a hardwired circuit to your power panel to make sure the EV charger fits when it arrives. If there are no external concerns, installation of a plug or a circuit costs a couple of hundred dollars, but if the electrician finds that the power panel is insufficient and needs to be upgraded, the cost could be anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000. 

5. Buy Your Electric Vehicle Home Charger & Have it Installed

At this point, you’ve done everything you can to properly prepare your home for an electric vehicle! Now is the time to research and purchase your electric vehicle charging station of choice and have it installed by a trusted electrician.

Learn More About EV Maintenance with Shakopee Chevrolet

If you have any questions about preparing or maintaining an electric vehicle, feel free to contact our office! You can also stop by our dealership near Eden Prairie to talk to a member of our service team in person, and we’ll be happy to help you out with whatever you need.