Lessons in home EV charging

The challenge

When I first bought my EV there weren’t many public chargers around because EVs were only just starting to become popular. I needed the security of knowing I could charge my car at home.

I knew I could use a standard wall socket to ‘trickle’ charge at home overnight, but I decided to install a wall charger so I can charge more quickly and less often.

This was a key reason for deciding to include the home charger installation in the purchase of the car.

The action

The charger installation was roughly an extra $2,000 included in the contract when I bought the car.

The electrician did everything for me, I just had to make sure I had a smart meter installed.

The process was as simple as getting a reverse cycle air conditioner or electric cooktop installed, and it has worked perfectly ever since.

Having the charger installed removed a lot of the initial stress of switching to an EV. I knew the charger would work with my car and could fully recharge the battery in one overnight charge.

The benefit

I pay my electricity bill monthly, and since I bought the electric car, my bill has remained the same.

The car is on a timer that means it only charges on off-peak period. I just plug it in when I get home and it automatically charges between 10pm and 7am.

I also get a $158 discount on my annual energy bill now that I switched to an EV energy saver plan.

I drive about 30km a day which means I only need to charge my car every 9 or 10 days, and that is really convenient for me.

The car has very few moving parts, so it only costs me $160 per year to service, which is very cheap.

Compared to my old petrol SUV, I have saved over $7,000 in servicing and petrol cost over the last 4 years.