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EV Charger Installation

For people that own an electric vehicle or are considering buying one, you will also need a 240-volt home charger to accompany your new car. Installing an EV charger is not a DIY project; you should always employ a licensed and insured electrical contractor to install an EV charger in your home.

Call Caribbean Electrical at (954) 371-5822; we provide reliable, affordable EV charger installations throughout South Florida.

 

The Allure of Electric

If you own an electric vehicle or have done research on buying one, then you know the many appealing advantages specifically related to going from gasoline to electrical for power for your vehicle.

Lower Fuel Costs

You lower your fuel costs because gasoline is more expensive than electricity—and gasoline prices generally keep rising while costs of electricity are quite stable. Whatever way you charge your electric vehicle, you will save money, but some ways save much more than others.

Less Pollution

Your use of an electric vehicle is a positive response to today's almost universal concern with controlling, reducing, and insofar as possible eliminating emitting carbon into the atmosphere. A major source of such emissions, of course, are gasoline-powered vehicles of all kinds.

 

Learn More About Electric Vehicle Chargers

The benefits of an electric vehicle are clear and compelling, but those benefits do depend upon a way to keep your vehicle charged and ready—a way that suits your driving patterns and those of your family and is as safe and as cost-efficient as possible. Electric vehicle (EV) chargers are of three types, each suited to different requirements, patterns of use, and preferences. For ease of reference, these categories of EV chargers are designated Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3.

Level 1 Chargers

The Level 1 EV charger usually comes with your vehicle as part of its standard equipment. It plugs into any standard electrical outlet (120 volts) in your home—for many drivers, in their garage—and generally is used to charge the vehicle overnight because it can require up to 20 hours to fully charge your vehicle. The level 1 EV charger requires no professional installation of any kind and is the default choice if your vehicle use is moderate and very regular.

Level 2 Chargers

The Level 2 EV charger, as compared with Level 1, does the job substantially faster, usually in approximately three hours for a full charge. The charger, like most of the appliances in your home, runs on 240 volts. That requires a different connection with your circuit box, different wiring at the box, and a different type of wire running to the location of your EV charger.

Here, in brief, are the steps in Level II installation. A special circuit breaker ("double-pole") is attached to two 120 volt "hot" wires, providing the 240 volt current your EV charger (or any major appliance) requires. For this current strength, a properly insulated and secured 4-strand cable is used. For safety, a ground wire always is connected with this set-up. The 4-strand cable connects the circuit breaker box with your EV charger, located in a place convenient for you, carrying to it the required 240-volt current.

The 240 cable is attached to your charging unit, which stops the flow of current until the charger senses that it has been connected with your EV charging port.

Among possible complications, here, are that your breaker box may lack the necessary type of interface for this hookup. In that case, if you want to install a Level II EV charger, you will need a new circuit box.

Installation of a Level 2 EV charger involves steps that for a homeowner are complex and high-risk. You will require the services of a professional electrician who inspects and certifies all equipment used, does a safe professional installation, and verifies that your EV charger system is working safely and efficiently. In fact, even if a nonprofessional undertakes the electrical work, in most locales it will have to have to pass the inspection of an electric professional to ensure against fire hazards, damage to your home's electrical system, or other unsafe conditions.

Level 3 Chargers

The Level 3 charging station ("DC Fast Charger") is installed in commercial and industrial settings. Both their considerable expense and their specialized and powerful equipment rule out Level 3 chargers for home installation. Most Level 3 chargers can deliver about 80 percent of the charge that a compatible vehicle needs in half an hour. This makes them the choice of charging stations. By the way, since not all public charging stations have equipment compatible with all EVs, you should know which public charging stations your EV can use.

Keep the Spark Alive

Caribbean Electrical provides skilled, professional, licensed and insured electricians to install your Level 2 EV charger. We will provide you with an estimate of what will be required, at what cost, for your EV Level 2 charger's installation. Included in that installation are parts that are inspected and certified, electrical work that meets code safety standards, and final inspecting and testing of your system. We are able to install any EV charger that you acquire or we can offer you a full selection of the best EV chargers on the market.

Call (954) 371-5822 to schedule an EV Charger consultation.