Established in 1999

The number of EV’s Electric Vehicles is growing every day and with good reason.

According to a report by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit on average Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV’s) which have both an internal combustion engine and a fairly large battery with an electric power train had a saving of £593 over a petrol car.

An even greater saving could be had of around £1264 if the switch were from a petrol car to an electric car.

Home charging is still one of the  most cost effective and convenient way to charge. 80% of all EV charging is done at home.

What are the different types of EV chargers and how do they work?

The batteries in your electric car store the power in the form of DC power.

The difference between AC (alternation current) chargers and DC (direct current) chargers is how and where the electricity is converted to charge the batteries.

The term AC Electric Vehicle Charger is a bit miss leading as the charger does not really do any charging, it supplies AC electricity to the cars built-in charger which converts the AC electricity to DC electricity to charger the cars DC batteries.

Whereas a DC Electric Vehicle Charger converts the electricity from AC to DC electricity, charging the car batteries directly without using the cars built-in charger.

Most homes only have a single-phase electricity supply limiting type of EV Charger to AC and a the maximum 7.4KW (32 amps) if a 3-phase supply is available than a AC charger with a maximum of 22KW (fast charger) could be installed but there are some restriction and we would be happy to answer any questions.

Commercial premises usually have a 3-phase supply so fitting up to a 22KW charger (fast charger) maybe possible. DC chargers (rapid charger) are very convenient and reduce charging time. DC chargers need a high amperage electricity supply and are not appropriate for all premises.

EV Chargers come with either a cable and connector (plug) attached to the charger (tethered) or just a socket outlet (untethered). The cost of a tethered EV Charger is slightly higher than an untethered charger, but not by much and the choice between the tethered and untethered can come down to the aesthetics and location of the charger with the untethered having a minimalist look and more attractive design.

Socket and Connector Types

The type of connector / socket varies from vehicle to vehicle along with the speed the batteries can charge

AC Charging Connector
	3 Pin Plug	This is the slowest form of charging. Only a 3-pin socket outlet which are rated for EV charging should be used, most socket outlets in the home are not rated for EV charging. Should only be used in an emergency. Typical charge at 2.3KW
	Type 1	A five pin plug, which is common for American and early Asian vehicles. Its’ a single-phase plug and can charge up to 7.4KW
	Type 2	A seven pin plug, is typically found on most European vehicles and since 2018 Asian vehicles. It’s a 3-phase plug and can charge up to 22KW at home and 43KW at public charging stations.
DC Charging Connector
		CCS2	This is an enhanced version of the type 2 plug, with the addition of 2 power connects for the purpose of rapid charging. Supports both AC and DC charging up to 350KW.
		CHAdeMO	This connector allows for high charging including bidirectional charging. The original DC connector and can charge up to 100KW.

In the UK the governments The Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021 come in to force on 30th June 2022 apart from the security requirements which came into force on the 30th December 2022. 

This regulation required any person or business selling or offering a EV charging point that the EV charger must have smart functionality including the ability to send and receive information including the ability to change the time when the electricity flows in response to the demand on the electricity grid.

To achieve this Electric Vehicle Chargers now need to connect to the internet. This can be done in a number of ways Wi-Fi, Ethernet or GSM (4G) and depends on capability of the EV Charger, if Wi-Fi or the mobile single is available at the charger location. 
When using GSM to connect the EV charger there can be an additional fee charged by the manufacturer and this needs to be taken into account when selecting the EV charger.

At ETE Electrical Contractors we have been installing EV Chargers for serval years from some of the largest manufactures Rolec and myenergi (Zappi). 

Every installation is different, and we still prefer the old-fashioned way of coming round having a look to give an estimate, but in a very competitive market this is not always possible in the first instant. So depending on your location we may ask you to email some photos and answer some questions to give you a guide price before doing a site visit.