Do you know how to prepare for home EV charging? Your primary concern after purchasing an electric vehicle is where, when, and how to charge it. With the ease and practicality of charging at home, the first place EV owners look is their own garage—and rightly so! Now that you can avoid trips to the gas station, what could be more logical and satisfying than starting each day with a full tank?
If you’ve decided to go with Level 1 charging using the standard 120v outlet, simply plug in your charger and start the process. Unfortunately, for a modern EV with a range in excess of 200 miles and a full-charge time (from empty) of up to 50 hours, Level 1 charging is considered far too slow. Consequently, most EV drivers opt for Level 2 charging. (For a detailed discussion of Level 1 and Level 2 charging, see the earlier post, EV Charging Types Explained.)
The short story is that Level 2 charging involves using a 240v socket. It’s certainly a lot quicker, with charging times typically in the 5 to 7 hours range for a full charge. Unfortunately, the setup process for Level 2 fast charging has traditionally required the installation of a dedicated 240v circuit, which is a time consuming and expensive process. But with the new Splitvolt Splitter Switch, you can skip this onerous task entirely by intelligently sharing your existing dryer socket with your EV charger.
However, if you don’t have a dryer socket available, you may still need to install a dedicated EV charging circuit. Here’s a rundown of key steps and considerations to understand before launching into EV Level 2 fast charging from your own garage.