How to Prepare Your Home for an Electric Vehicle

If you’ve recently purchased an electric vehicle or you have your eye on the new Chevy Equinox EV, there are specific steps you can take to ready your home. Unlike standard gasoline-powered vehicles, electric vehicles need a bit of preparation before taking delivery of an EV. While public electric vehicle charging stations are becoming more popular around Gothenburg and McCook, your personal electric vehicle home charger will be the more convenient option for a reliable charge. This guide from Jerry Remus Chevrolet will take a look at how you can prepare your home for an electric vehicle, so you’re ready to explore North Platte streets without interruption.

1. Decide on a Charging Type (AKA Charging Level)

Before you take home your Chevrolet electric vehicle, you’ll want to do research into the types of EV chargers and the chargers your EV requires. Choose from a Level 1 or Level 2 charger:

• Level 1 EV charging plugs into standard household outlets but often takes days to fully charge an electric car.
• An installed Level 2 EV charging unit can charge an electric car after several hours.
• Level 2 DC charging can provide between 60-200 miles of range in just 20-30 minutes. This is a great opportunity for McCook drivers to mix in daytime “top-offs” with overnight charging.

2. Ready Your Garage

To prepare your home for an electric vehicle, you’ll need to make sure you have the space to store your car. Now’s a good time to assess your space and start cleaning out or organizing your garage. You’ll want to make sure you have access to the area where the charger will be installed and space for your vehicle, of course.

3. Find Your Power Panel & Assess Consumption

Typically, most new homes come with a 100-amp power panel to distribute electricity throughout the entire building. The maximum amount of current flow is measured in amperes and the amount your power panel outputs should be printed on the main circuit breaker.

Once you know how much your house can handle, assess how much electrical energy you use in your house. Performing a self-assessment of your electricity consumption can help you see your standard usage and prevent you from overloading your electric distribution panel when adding an electric vehicle home charger.

4. Hire an Electrician

A local Ogallala-area electrician can help assess your house’s electric output and walk through any concerns you have about your power consumption and adding an EV charger. They can help you decide whether a dedicated 240-volt plug or a hardwired circuit to your power panel is the best option for electric vehicle charging batteries. This installation can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 if it’s found that your panel requires additional upgrading.

5. Buy Your Charger & Have it Installed

There are different types of electric vehicle charging stations. Take the time to research and purchase an EV charger that works with your EV. Consult an electrician to have your unit professionally installed.

Learn About Electric Vehicle Home Chargers with Jerry Remus Chevrolet!

Learn about the benefits of purchasing an electric vehicle and prepare your home for an electric vehicle with Jerry Remus Chevrolet. Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. Then, test drive the EV model in our inventory today.