What you need BEFORE your first EV purchase

There is such a push to purchase an electric vehicle. Don’t get me wrong I would love to have an electric truck in my driveway to drive around in (until I need to pull a trailer). There are things that every potential buyer should consider within their house before they go sign on the dotted line for a new EV. 

Let’s dive into charging at home. First there is no rule that you must charge at home, but it will almost always be the easiest to do. If your employer or office has a charging station, you might be able to pull off charging at work. However, it will most likely cost you more than charging at home. 

If you want to charge at home let’s take a first look at your electrical panel. Your main breaker in the panel should tell you how many amps it is rated for. If it is a 100amp panel you will need a new service and panel to the house. If you have a full 200-amp panel or have a panel that is over 20 years old, you will probably need to upgrade that panel as well. Most homes that have a 200-amp panel don’t have 50 amps of room in that panel. The costs are varied across the US. I have seen costs run from $3,000 to as much as $10,000 for a new panel and service. Special situations can even be higher. There are some places you won’t be able to upgrade above a 100amp service. This is where you contact your power company and find out what is available for you. There are other options for charging at home that use a lower amp load BUT it could take as much as 24 hours to get a full charge. That is not optimal for most people. 

What happens when you need to charge two EV’s? You will need twice the power. At that point you might need to upgrade to a 400-amp service if you have a large house, a hot tub, and electric appliances. 

I love DIY projects, but this is where you should hire that electrician to discuss what your plans are for the home. What changes to your house are you going to add over the next few years and how many cars you need to charge and then figure out what is needed for your situation. 

Just remember you might go out and purchase that new EV for $89,000 but you might need another $10,000 in home improvements so you can charge it at home overnight