You don't need a dedicated car charging station to charge an electric vehicle at home. However, it is essential to note that a home EV charging station provides greater safety, convenience, and faster charging.
A domestic charging station is a dedicated charging point for your electric car at home.
Home EV chargers vary in size, power, functionality, and price, but all allow for higher power charging compared to standard sockets.
A home charging point will charge your car much faster than a standard socket, though still slower than public charging stations, which require much higher voltage than what is available at home.
Warning, a domestic electric car charging station should be installed by a qualified professional.
Can I charge an electric vehicle with a regular socket?
You can charge an electric car at home using a standard household socket.
The answer is Yes – you can charge an electric car at home with the supplied cable that you plug into a standard South African household socket. However, such charging is very slow and potentially dangerous.
A regular socket and electrical network can be significantly stressed and overheated by charging. Since charging mostly happens at night, unsupervised, we advise paying special attention to this.
Get free quotes for a home charging stationCharging an electric car through a regular domestic socket usually operates at around two kilowatts and can take more than 12 hours.
Overnight, you can charge an electric car for about 100 kilometres of driving using a regular socket.
Most electric vehicle owners eventually decide to purchase a home car charging station.
Get free quotes for an EV chargerWhat are the advantages of a electric charging station at home?
You mount the domestic car charger on the wall and connect it to your home network, converting the electrical energy into a form suitable for your vehicle's battery.
Take advantage of charging your electric car with a home EVSE charging station:
- Speed: charge your vehicle three times faster.
- Safety: reduce the risk of network overload and fires.
- Lower costs: take advantage of lower tariffs or charge the vehicle with solar energy.
- Convenience: manage charging via a mobile app.
- Control: monitor energy consumption and charging costs.
Which electric car charging station should I buy?
If you have a three-phase connection at home, choose a charging station with 11 kW power if your car supports it.
For owners with a three-phase connection, an 11 kW charger is the most suitable, with which you can charge a 60 kWh battery in about 5 hours.
11 kW station will allow most electric car batteries to be fully charged overnight.
If your home has a single-phase connection, you can still install an EVSE charging station, but it will generally be limited to lower power outputs compared to what a three-phase connection can support.
For instance, single-phase EV chargers typically offer up to 7.4 kW, while three-phase chargers can provide up to 22 kW.
Even if you currently have a single-phase connection, investing in a three-phase charger could still be beneficial. This makes your setup more adaptable to future technological advancements in EVs.
Get multiple quotes to compare different models and costs of charging stations and choose the best one for you. Submit a request on Procompare, and within a few days, you will receive offers from the best local companies for electric car charging stations.
