For most EV owners, the basic charger that their car comes with just doesn’t keep up with their needs. In many cases, charging speeds of 5 miles per hour is all they can expect. A homeowner experiencing this issue called master electrician Heath Eastman for help installing a Level 2 charger in her garage.
How to Install an EV Charger
It’s important to note that upgrading from a Level 1 charger to a Level 2 requires running a 240-volt circuit from the panel to the garage. This is a job for a licensed electrician. However, we’ll break down the rough steps, so you understand how it works.
- Start by turning off the power to the electrical panel. There is a main breaker either in the panel or on the outside of the house near the electrical meter. Shut the breaker off and lock it out with a lock-out-tag-out device.
- Test the electrical panel with a non-contact tester to ensure there isn’t any electricity flowing through the main lines. If all is safe, remove the panel cover carefully and test for voltage once more with a multimeter.
- Determine if there is enough room in the panel for a double-pole breaker. Licensed electricians can determine this by checking the label inside the panel.
- Determine the location for the new EV charger and check to ensure that it’s possible to route the wire from the panel to the location by measuring off a consistent location such as a load-bearing wall structure that remains consistent throughout the home.
- Install the EV charger’s bracket on the wall in its new location. Attach the EV charger to the bracket and install the charging plug bracket.
- Drill through the base plate and into the stud bay where the new EV charger will be located. Mark and cut out the hole for the electrical box, and run the fish tape from the panel to the hole in the drywall.
- Attach wire to the fish tape and pull it back through the wall to the panel.
- Install the electrical box and wire the outlet. Secure the outlet to the electrical box and install the cover.
- Install the new breaker in the electrical panel and attach the new 240-volt wire to the breaker.
- Install the energy monitor in the panel according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Replace the electrical panel cover and re-energize the home (note: it’s best to shut off all the breakers first, then flip them back on one at a time while re-energizing).
- Plug the new charger into the new outlet in the garage and enjoy supercharged EV charging.
Resources
Heath upgrades a homeowner’s charging capabilities by installing a level two EV charger. He also sets up an energy monitoring device that will allow for real-time energy tracking and load management.