From 2035 it will be illegal to purchase a new petrol, diesel or hybrid vehicle in the UK. As this government deadline looms closer, and environmental attitudes towards traditional petrol and diesel cars worsen, more and more drivers are making the switch to hybrid or fully electric vehicles, now making up 5% of UK car owners.

​

Switching to an electric car is a great way to not only reduce your carbon footprint, but also to decrease the fuel and running costs of your vehicle and reduce engine maintenance to boot.  

If you've decided to make the switch, you'll need an electric vehicle charger for your home to keep your vehicle juiced up. There are several criteria your home will need to fulfil in order to install one, these are:

• Dedicated off-street parking

• Your landlord's permission to install one if you rent your home 

• A Wi-Fi connection

​

What are my charging options for home?

​

Your vehicle will usually be supplied with a household 3 pin plug which can be used to charge via your domestic electricity supply. However, this method of charging could take up to a day to fully charge your car, and therefore is best used in an emergency if you have no alternative.

The best option for charging your car at home is by installing a wall charger. Wall chargers are mounted onto the outside of your house and draw power from your domestic electricity supply. There are a variety of wall charger units available; beginning with cheaper, lower wattage 3kW chargers- these chargers are still relatively slow (taking between 6 and 8 hours to fully charge a Nissan Leaf), so are best for short infrequent journeys or hybrid vehicles with a smaller capacity. 3kW chargers start at around £250, increasing up to the £500 mark and there is a government grant available to help you with this cost (more on that later).

​

7kW wall chargers are a more common charging option and much more powerful than their 3kW counterparts, taking 3 to 4 hours to fully charge a Nissan Leaf. 7kW chargers typically cost between £500-£800 and are also part of the EVHS grant scheme.

​

Provided you've got these you can next decide if you'd like one of two charging options- a tethered or a universal charger. Tethered chargers as the name suggest come with either a Type 1 or Type 2 cable to connect to your vehicle. Universal chargers on the other hand don't use a cable and connect to all electric vehicles.

​

Installation

​

Once you’ve decided on your electric vehicle and charger, you’ll need to get the charger installed. The UK government Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) is great for those looking to go green - helping them with 75% of the charger installation costs up to £350. In order to qualify for the scheme you’ll need to use an OLEV-approved charge point installer, and fulfil some easy criteria (find out more here).

​

Selecting a qualified electrician that you trust to install your electric vehicle charger is the last step to getting your new vehicle on to the road. The AFOS team are fully OLEV approved installers, our engineers are fully qualified to install a variety of charger types at your home under the EVHS grant- saving you up to £350.

Want to find out more about electric vehicle charging or book an installation? Get in touch with the AFOS team here.