What Do You Need to Charge Your EV at Home?

How to charge an EV

Charging an EV is as simple as plugging it in. In fact, most EVs can be charged via your standard three-pin power point. In fact, charging a Tesla is just like charging a bigger, more expensive iPhone!

However, while plugging your car in to charge using a regular socket is convenient, it’s not necessarily the best option.

Home charging: What do you need to charge your EV at home?

As mentioned above, you don’t need anything other than a charging cable and a wall socket. However, this method will only provide about 10km of range for every hour of charge… So you’ll need to leave your car plugged in all night long to get any real range out of it.

Sure, if you don’t have a long daily commute, it’s a workable option. And if you have an electricity plan that offers cheap (or even free) off-peak power rates, all the better. But it’s not a lot of use if you drive a lot and regularly need to charge a depleted battery in a short amount of time.

For this reason, investing in a dedicated EV wall charger for your home may be a good idea.

→ Related article: EV Power Plans: The Best Power Plans for Electric Vehicles

EV wall chargers

EV chargers are dedicated, wall-mounted units that offer faster charge times than a standard power point. Many models can deliver 30-40km of range in just an hour of charging. So an hour or two should provide more than enough juice for your next day’s commute.

Depending on where you live, you may even be able to get a 22w charger, which can deliver well over 100km of range in an hour. Although these typically require your property to have three-phase power, which most homes just don’t have.

And starting prices for standard three-phase residential power connections are around $15,000, so if you are interested in a 22w charger, be sure to do further research and explore your options.

How much does an EV charger cost?

The cost of an at-home wall charger varies, depending on the model, wattage and installer. But, as a general ballpark figure, you can expect a starting price of around $2000+.

One great way to manage this added cost is with Electric Kiwi. Thanks to a partnership with leading EV charger manufacturer and installer Evnex, Electric Kiwi customers can get a discount on the cost of EV chargers, as well as the option to pay the remaining balance off, interest-free, over 12 months.

You can read more about it here. Alternatively, head over to Canstar and start comparing personal loans and/or credit cards so you can find the best rate.

What about the cost of all that extra power?

Charging an EV is certainly going to add to your power bill. But it’s more or less guaranteed to cost less than filling up at the pump.

Based on the average electricity price in NZ, you’re looking at about $3 per 100km of charge, which compares favourably with a standard petrol vehicle, which can cost around $20 per 100km.

Furthermore, with the right power plan, your charging costs could be even lower! Many power plans offer cheaper rates for off-peak power, so charging your EV overnight means you could pay closer to half the normal rate. And if you choose a plan with free power hours, you could save even more!

For example, so long as you have a dedicated at-home EV charger, you could add about 40km of range to your EV every night for free (during your hour of free power). If your vehicle is mainly used for your daily commute, you might find that’s about all you need for a daily charge.

Compare electricity providers with Canstar Blue

If you have an Electric vehicle, or are thinking about getting one, the right power plan is paramount. But finding the right provider can be a real challenge.

If you are looking to change electricity providers, or are unsure if you are getting the best deal, Canstar Blue can help. We rate NZ power companies for customer satisfaction and value for money, see the table below for some of the results, or you can click on the button below for the full results of our survey.

Canstar Blue’s latest review of NZ power companies compares them on customer satisfaction. The table below is an abridged version of our full results, available here.

Compare electricity providers for free with Canstar Blue!

What about public charging?

Public chargers offer speedy charging which, depending on the wattage, can add anywhere from 30-400km of range in just 15 minutes! While that’s convenient for getting you charged up and back on the road, it’s not ideal for your regular charge.

That’s because:

a) Fast chargers typically cost more than charging at home (although still likely cheaper than the cost of fuel) and;
b) Regular DC charging (fast chargers generally use DC over AC) leads to faster battery degradation

Because of this, you’re better off, both for the health of your wallet and car, sticking with home charging for your daily charge and public charging only when needed.

→ Related article: Genesis Energy’s New EVerywhere Scheme: Charge your EV for Cheap!

Compare electricity providers for free with Canstar Blue!

About the author of this page

This report was written by Canstar Content Producer, Andrew Broadley. Andrew is an experienced writer with a wide range of industry experience. Starting out, he cut his teeth working as a writer for print and online magazines, and he has worked in both journalism and editorial roles. His content has covered lifestyle and culture, marketing and, more recently, finance for Canstar.