Whilst there are a lot of advantages to buying an EV, one of the most substantial of these is the ability to charge them at home for a fraction of the cost of refuelling a petrol or diesel car.
This has incentivised a lot of electricians to develop their skills further, as a lot of homeowners and managers of business establishments are keen to install EV charging points to maximise the functionality of their cars and act as a potential selling point.
This is likely to further increase with the Electric Vehicle Grant, a scheme that offers discounts on EVs that meet certain sustainability criteria.
However, one major question that homeowners will particularly need to ask is whether their current electrical wiring can support the much higher power demands of a charging station, and not every home will be able to have one fitted without infrastructure upgrades.
Here are three of the biggest questions an electrician will need to find the answers to before they can install an EV charger.
Is There Enough Electrical Capacity?
An EV charger demands a lot of electrical power, often significantly more than would be expected of a typical mains appliance, and as such, it is important to know if the building and its wiring have the capacity to handle it.
The load capacity is the maximum amount of electricity a circuit can handle before there is a short circuit, typically measured in amps.
Most homes built since the 1960s will have a capacity of around 200 amps, but a significant amount of that will be taken by high-demand appliances such as electric shower boxes, electric ovens, heat pumps or electric boilers. An EV charger would take an even greater supply.
An electrician will need to test the existing capacity, check the existing fuse rating and determine whether additional wiring upgrades would be required to ensure that the charger will work without overloading or tripping out the electricity supply.
Can The Fuse Box Take It?
The consumer unit, often known colloquially as a fuse box, is a distribution board consisting of a range of miniature circuit breakers that protect against a wide range of electrical faults.
It is important to have an up-to-date consumer unit with a fully functional residual current device (RCD), regardless of which appliances are installed in it, to avoid electrical fires and electrocution, but this is especially important given the much higher electrical requirements of a rapid charging station.
There also, naturally, needs to be space for an additional circuit breaker on your consumer unit for a high-powered appliance.
Is The Wiring Properly Earthed?
Adequate earthing is essential for the safe use and installation of electrical appliances, especially given the higher electrical loads involved. One of the main checks an electrician will do is to check that the earthing system is fit for purpose.
As well as this, an EV charger may sometimes need an additional earthing rod to further protect against electrical faults, static charges or electrical shocks, in order to ensure that the charger remains safe to use for years to come.