The quick answer is you do not need a home charger, but it can be very helpful. I once met a man at a fast-charging station. He had a long commute and used most of his driving range to make the round trip and did not have any home charging. At the end of the day, he would stop at a fast-charging station to fill up to be ready for the next day. His life would have been easier if he could plug in at night at fill up his battery at night. Let’s look at the two ways he could have added charge at night.
Slow Charging (Level 1). All electric cars come with a charging cable that will plug directly into your 110 volt three prong plugs. So with no extra expense, you could plug in at night and add miles to your range. If we estimate 12 hours at 6 miles per hour charging, you could get about 72 miles of range. So if you commute as 30 miles or less each way, you could just charge at night with a Level 1 charge. You will need a 110 volt plug that is near the car. Extension cords are not a good idea as the power transferred is quite high. Also, if your outlet is in poor shape , has a low current circuit breaker, has very old wiring, the high current draw could cause problems. It might be a good idea to have an electrician check if the 110 volt outlet is sufficient to power the Level 1 charger.
Regular Charging (Level 2). This type of charging will require a 220 volt plug. This is like the one used on electric dryers. With this type of charging, you get about 30 miles added per hour. You could refill 360 miles overnight. Also having one of these chargers is the most convenient way to charge your car. My daughter has one and has never used a public charger in the year she has owned her car. So what do you need to do Level 2 charging at home? You will need a Level 2 charger and the 220 volt plug. How much this will cost may vary. Let me give you a couple options.
Less Expensive
Low cost chargers – Some car chargers that come with your car can do both 110 Volt and 220 volt. In this case you do not need to buy a charger. Also some utililies over discounts and rebates that make your home charger less expensive or free. My utility rebated me the entire cost of my home charger.
Low cost 220 Volt Outlet – If your service panel is near your where you want an outlet, having an electrician add the outlet should not be to expensive. Another way to keep the cost of the outlet down is to use a device that shares the outlet with your dryer. Some of these devices are a manual switch and some can automatically let the dryer work and charge your car when the dryer is not using power.
More Expensive
More expensive chargers – You can purchase a home charger for about $500. If you think about all the time is will save you driving and charging at a public charger, it really a good deal.
More expensive 220-volt outlet installations: I paid an electrician to run a 220-volt line under my house to install the outlet in my garage. I spent $1000 to do this. Next you would have to purchase a Level 2 Charger for about $500. I have found that this has saved me a few quick charging trips every month and also made charging completely hassle free. Sometimes I have back-to-back long trips and with this Level 2 system at home, I no longer have to worry about driving range. I can easily full charge overnight to make the next trip
So you do not need a home charger, but I would recommend a Level 2 charger installed at your home for convenience.
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