H OM E CHARGING OPTIONS
I T IS GENERALLY EXCEPTED BY OUR TEAM AT the E MOTION offices that approximately eighty-two per cent of statistics are made up, half the time. That’s why we go through great lengths to research our articles and verify our testing before even one drop of digital ink makes it to our readers. But an oft-repeated stat suggesting that at least three-quarters of electric vehicle charging takes place at an EV owner’s home seems to bear weight – and not just anecdotally. Friends of this site who make their own monthly payments on an electron eater report similar behaviour, citing convenience and the unpredictable state of public charging infra- structure as key reasons for juicing an EV at home. With these observations ricocheting around this author’s brain like a hyperactive pinball, the time seemed right to install a Level 2 charger in my own home. This will have the twin benefits for our readers in informing this article with first-hand knowledge whilst also providing better reviews of electric vehi- cles in the future. With a Level 2 charger at home, we hope to mirror the experience of an EV owner more accurately during our tests, rather than carp about the sad state of public charging in most of Canada. First, a small glossary of terms for anyone who is either new to the EV game or hasn’t been paying attention. Level 1 chargers are the type which can be plugged into a standard household outlet and gen- erally take days to fully charge a modern EV. Level 2 chargers, like the one in this article, belt out far more amps and may fully juice an electric vehicle in the
overnight hours as all hands slumber in their beds. They require a special electrical outlet, like the one usually associated with a clothes dryer or kitchen stove. Finally, a Level 3 charger is a big honker found publicly in the parking lots of places like Petro Canada or Canadian Tire. Selecting a specific Level 2 charger to meet one’s needs is the obvious first step, after making sure an electrician has cleared your home’s panel box and wiring as being sufficiently robust for this installation. Look for Level 2 unit which has a suf- ficiently long charging cord (25+ feet at minimum) for reasons of convenience, though any smartphone compatibility is purely a personal preference. Some units need to be hardwired into the electrical guts of a house, while some others – like the one in this arti- cle – can simply be plugged into an appropriate out- let. An advantage of the latter is the option of being able to take it along when moving to a new house or leaving it in place as a selling point if your buyers are interested. The unit which made its way into my two-car attached garage was from a brand called Autel which offers multiple options in this sphere. Shown in these images is a 40-amp MaxiCharger AC Elite, so noted for its ability to draw up to 40A of electricity, ability to use household AC power, and brains to push mes- sages to a smartphone. If you’re wondering, a unit’s amp rating can be thought of as the speed at which electricity is pulled though the charger – a 30A will charge slower than 40A, and so on.
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