When looking at options for charging your new electric vehicle, it can be tempting to think you can get away with charging up your car with a so-called “granny” cable that runs to a traditional three-pin plug.
However, even if you have recently installed an outdoor electric socket, charging in this way is dangerous. This post will look at the dangers posed by charging your EV this way and explain why a dedicated EV charge point is your only option for your home-based charging.
What’s Wrong with Charging an EV Using a Three-Pin Plug Cable?
The fundamental problem with a granny cable is that it’s less safe than using a purpose-built EV charge point. Unless your outdoor socket has the latest wiring and runs on its own fused circuit, it’s not worth taking the risks associated with charging your car this way.
The main issue is that you will be running around 10 Amps through this socket continuously for hours on end. If your wiring isn’t up to scratch, it will likely heat up, potentially melt, and then subsequently start a fire. And given so many people charge their vehicles overnight, the chances are you wouldn’t know what was happening until it was too late.
Safety issues aside, you’ve got to factor in that charging with a granny cable can take as long as 24 hours, even if you only have a hybrid with 30 miles of range. You need something more powerful and less dangerous. In other words, you need a dedicated EV charge point installed by a professional charge point installation company.
What Are the Advantages of a Dedicated EV Charge Point for Your Home?
First and foremost, wall-mounted and free-standing domestic EV charge points are installed by accredited EV charge point companies (or at least should be), who have the electrical background to ensure they deliver the maximum power output with the lowest risk.
They install specialist technology that works out the cheapest times to charge your vehicle and limit the total energy consumption of your charger. Rather than charging for dozens of hours in a row, you can go to bed on an empty battery and wake up with a “full tank”, as it were.
Aren’t EV Charge Points Expensive?
Yes, EV charge points will indeed cost you a lot more to install than merely plugging your car into an external socket. However, they will eventually pay for themselves in saved fuel costs, and you can also receive a grant from the government to install them.
The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (sometimes referred to as the OLEV grant) subsidises EV charge point installation by contributing up to 75% of the cost of a single point EV Charger, up to the cost of £350. It now also includes funding for owners of larger electric motorbikes too.
Talk To Applegarth Today Regarding Your Domestic EV Charge Point Installation
At Applegarth, we have been helping homeowners to join the green revolution by offering expert EV charge point installation services across the UK. We are a government-approved installer of these devices, and we can even help you secure the funding you need to proceed with the installation.
So, if you are interested in having an EV charge point installed outside your home or have any questions, please call us on 0151 649 8350. You can also email us at info@applegarth.co.uk with any queries you may have.
