Buying a home charger: What to look for

What kind of electric charging station should I buy? There are many different types of charging points, and which one you should order depends on your home and electric car. In this article we explain everything about the types of charging stations you can purchase for your electric car.

Power

The first factor to consider is the power of a charging point. For home use, it's almost always only possible to install an AC charging station. The power of AC charging points ranges between 3.7kW and 22kW.

Charging can be done with an amperage of 16A or 32A, and that can be via 1 or 3 phases:

Phases

First you want to know if your electric car can charge on 3 phases. Car manufacturers are increasingly ensuring their cars can charge on 3 phases. Even if your car can't do this now, it's useful to prepare for the future and purchase a 3-phase charging point. Your 1-phase car can then charge via one of the 3 phases of the charging point.

Amperage

The amperage also differs per electric car; a Tesla Model 3 charges at 3F/16A, while a Nissan Leaf charges at 1F/32A. Here too it's good to prepare for more powerful cars if your car can't handle 32A. The charging point will then automatically charge at 16 amps.

But what if you can handle 32A, but because you occasionally turn on the washing machine and dryer at the same time, you still have to fuse the charging point? Volt Time offers the perfect solution with Dynamic Load Balancing.

Features

Dynamic Load Balancing

A charging station with dynamic load balancing monitors the consumption of the house. The remaining power is then fully available for the charging point. The building always has priority. This way you can use electrical appliances in the building without worry; the charging point will automatically draw less power.

When you go to sleep in the evening and the house uses less, the charging point will charge faster again.

Fixed Cable or Socket

Most electric cars use a "Type 2 EU" charging cable. When you buy a car, you usually receive a charging cable with two ends. One end goes into the car, the other into the "socket" of the charging point.

If you want to set up a charging station at home, it's convenient for ease of use to choose a "Fixed cable". Then you don't have to get the cable from the car every time, but you directly plug the charging point cable into your electric car.

You can often choose between a 5 meter and 8 meter variant, as well as a normal cable and a charging point with spiral cable.

Plug & Charge or RFID?

You can set your charging point to always charge as soon as a car is connected. This is called "Plug and Charge". If your charging point is theoretically accessible to passers-by, it's useful to get a charging point with RFID functionality.

Then you can set it so that only you can charge by tapping your pass or pebble. Some charging stations even have a physical key.

Smart Charger: Backoffice Features

With a backoffice, a new world of possibilities opens up:

• Charge cheaper during off-peak hours
• Automatically settle electricity costs with your company
• Let passers-by charge and make money from it!

The charging point must have an internet connection and communicate via OCPP. This can be via Ethernet or with a SIM card. You take out a subscription for this service.

Installation

The costs of installing a charging point usually start from €500-€600. The costs depend on your living situation. Hanging a charging point outside on the wall, close to the meter cupboard, is fairly cheap.

If, for example, there's a garden between the charging point and the meter cupboard, digging is required to lay the cables. Also, if you want to buy a charging point on a mounting pole, digging is required. This is more expensive. A mounting pole with concrete base costs around €200.