How To Prepare Your Home For EV

Bringing home an electric vehicle (EV) in Jackson is an exciting step, but it's essential to ensure your home is equipped to handle the charging needs. Whether you drive a Hummer EV or Sierra EV, installing an electric vehicle home charger not only provides convenience but also maximizes your EV’s efficiency. In this guide, we’ll show you how to prepare your home for an electric vehicle and help you understand the options available for electric vehicle charging batteries. Keep reading to learn more about setting up an electric vehicle charging station and making the most out of your EV ownership journey.

1. Choose Your Charging Level

   The first step in setting up an electric vehicle home charger is deciding which charging level suits your needs. There are three levels of EV chargers, each offering different charging speeds and capabilities. Here’s a quick breakdown to help you prepare your home for an electric vehicle:
   • 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. For this reason, most people intermix daytime “top-off” charging with overnight charging.

2. Ready Your Garage for an Electric Vehicle Home Charger

   If you haven’t cleaned out or organized your Humboldt garage, now is the time to do that before installing an electric vehicle home charger! Make sure that you get your garage ready for an EV before you take delivery! You may wish to clean out clutter first if your garage has been used as a storage space for a long time.

3. Find Your Power Panel & Assess Consumption

   The power panel in your home distributes electricity throughout the entire building. It should be rated for a maximum amount of current flow measured in Amperes. Most new homes come with a 100 Amp power panel, but there should be an amperage rating printed on your main circuit breaker.
Next, you’ll want to get a handle on how much electrical energy you consistently use in your house by performing a self-assessment of your electricity use before you install an electric vehicle charging station system. You do not want to overload your electric distribution panel.

4. Hire an Electrician

   Next, hire an electrician. You can discuss any concerns you have about your power consumption and adding EV charging. You can also have them install a dedicated 240-volt plug or add a hardwired circuit back to the power panel. Usually, this costs a couple of hundred dollars but could be up to $1,000 or $3,000 if it’s found that your power panel is not sufficient as-is and requires upgrading.

5. Buy Your Charger & Have it Installed

   If you haven’t already researched and purchased an EV charger at this point, it would be the time to do so and have it professionally installed by the Collierville electrician of your choice.

Ready to get started with your own electric vehicle charging station? Contact Express Chevrolet GMC today to learn more about how to prepare your home for an electric vehicle. Our team can help you choose the right electric vehicle home charger and provide recommendations for safely charging your electric vehicle charging batteries. Reach out to us to explore your options and enjoy the convenience of home EV charging in Crocket County. Not yet an EV owner? Test-drive an electric vehicle with us today to get started.