Is Your Garage Ready for an Electric Car?

is your garage ready for an electric car?It doesn’t matter if it’s because gas is too expensive or you want to enjoy the simplicity and reliability of an electric engine.You’ve decided to take the plunge and purchase an electric car. However, there’s one important consideration before you drive your new electric vehicle (EV) home. Is your garage electric car ready?

No More Gas Pumps

Electric car owners don’t need to bother with filling up anymore. Instead of trying to keep gas from dripping on your shoes, electric car owners have a new concern. That’s staying charged up. Unfortunately, it’s more complicated than plugging your car into the nearest outlet in your garage. Not that it’s impossible, but the conventional 120 volts available to you can take more than 24 hours to recharge your vehicle!

The Home Charging Station

The home charging station that you choose depends on your driving habits. Electric cars already have an internal charger that can easily be connected to your home’s normal electrical outlets. But that method can take a lot of time to put you back on the road. To charge those lithium-ion batteries fast enough to make your car more than a gorgeous piece of garage furniture, you’ll need to install a home charging station.

There are two types of home charging stations. These are known as Level 1 (slow) and Level 2 (much faster) chargers.

  • Level 1 is 120 volts and connects to the typical outlet found in any home. Level 1 offers a slow charge. Usually, the practical range you can expect when slowly recharging your battery overnight is about 40 miles. All electric cars come equipped with 120v charging cord. Just park it near the outlet and plug in for the night.
  • Level 2 is 240 volts and uses the other type of outlet usually found in the home. That being the one for your electric dryer. 240 volts allows the car to be charged much more rapidly. A level 2 charger is purchased separately, although some manufacturers may allow you to finance your level 2 charging equipment or even offer a package deal with an EV purchase. For example, Nissan and AeroVironment, have partnered to provide Leaf buyers a $2,000 charging dock and installation package.

Get the App

There’s an app for everything now, but you’re going to need this one to get the most out of your electric car. The PlugShare app for Android or iPhone lists the locations for over 10,000 charging stations around the U.S.A.

You won’t always make it home on the charge you have left or may want to drive farther than your car’s fully-charged range. Don’t get stuck — get the app.

You’ll Need Climate Control

Lithium-ion batteries are fussy about temperature. Electric car charging can be done in temps that range from 32 to 112 degrees Fahrenheit. Even so, charging is best when done between 50 and 86 degrees.

During summers in many parts of the U.S., a garage could hit 120 degrees, and then reach sub-zero in the dead of winter. Severe temperature fluctuations or extreme conditions can diminish both charging capacity and battery life. To get the most life and performance from your battery; you should invest in climate control.

Custom garages may not be the cheapest solution to this problem, but after investing in “green” transportation; why not go the extra step? Learn more about how you can get started on your custom garage when you speak to the local garage experts at HWS Garages today.