One of the biggest differences to get used to when driving an EV is having to charge up your vehicle instead of filling it up at a pump. While electricity is a lot cheaper and greener than petrol or diesel, it takes much longer to charge an EV than it does to fill up a car with fuel.
Integrating an electric vehicle charging station in commercial settings cleverly aligns with where people spend most of their day—like workplaces and shopping centers. Using this method, drivers can charge their cars while they work, shop, or enjoy a meal, effectively converting downtime into productivity. By making electric vehicles more practical for everyday use, this setup mitigates the inconvenience of longer charging times and also supports the broader adoption of electric vehicles.
Charging stations are also fewer and far between than gas stations in many areas, and there can be challenges to consider when installing them. To help overcome these charging challenges, here are a few tips that could be worth considering as a new EV owner.
Explore EV charger grants
While you can charge an EV using a regular plug socket in your home, it will take a long time to charge your vehicle. EV charging stations allow for much speedier charging. The downside is that they’re not cheap – they can cost anywhere from $1000 to $3000 to install.
Fortunately, you may not need to pay for all of this out of your own pocket. There are a number of national and local grants out there that can help to part-pay for installation. Make sure to explore these grants when installing a charging station in your home.
Invest in the right charger
Basic EV charging stations can fully charge a vehicle in 8 hours. These are the cheapest EV chargers and therefore the most popular. However, there are ultra fast chargers out there that can fully charge a vehicle in less than 20 minutes.
These are more expensive, but could prevent you from having to wait as long for your vehicle to fully charge.
Look into wireless charging
Don’t have private off-road parking? Having to trail a cable from your home across a sidewalk to your car parked on the curb is not ideal. The cable could be an obstruction to passers by and as a result may be deemed illegal in some areas. Fortunately, there are electric vehicle cable management solutions that you can look into to get around this.
The best solution is wireless charging. This involves using a charging pad that sits under your vehicle. Charing is slightly slower when using these pads but could be more convenient in many areas.
Use apps to find free EV charging on the go
There are many apps that can help you to find EV stations in your area. This could include free EV parking spaces with free charging. Such apps can make locating EV charging stations on the go much easier, and could save you money. This post lists some of the best apps for EV owners.
Be courteous of other EV owners
There is no law as to how long you can use a public EV charger. However, you should try not to hog these charging station spaces if you are not actively charging your vehicle – especially in areas where there are few public EV chargers. This gives other EV owners the chance to charge up their vehicle.
Article Last Updated: June 17, 2024.
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